Fisherman found asleep on boat 14 hours after going missing
A man has been found asleep on a boat 14 hours after a mayday call reporting him missing sparked a search and rescue mission.
The 45-year-old vanished from his boat more than 50 kilometres off the Sunshine Coast, with authorities fearing the worst.
However late this afternoon he was found sleeping on board under equipment on the fishing vessel.
Experienced skipper Peter Rockliff had been trawling for spanner crab when he disappeared around 2.30am.
“There are obviously grave fears for his safety being in the water for so long,” Senior Constable Murray Lyons said earlier.
“The search area is growing exponentially and is now up around 133 square miles.”
Sparking a major response with more than a dozen helicopters, planes and boats from across Queensland scanned the sea for the missing fisherman.
But while everyone searched far and wide, the Mooloolaba local holed up in a compartment on board the Barameda K, reportedly fast asleep.
