Tragic update after men rescued from yacht
The body of a 65-year-old man has been retrieved from the sea after a father and son were rescued from a capsized yacht.
On Sunday, a RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew winched a 62-year-old man and his 27-year-old son from an overturned yacht near Lady Elliot Island, off the coast of Bundaberg.
It’s believed the keel snapped on their boat, causing it to overturn during their journey.
The father and son managed to climb onto the upside-down vessel and set off an emergency radio beacon at 5am, which alerted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
A rescue helicopter was deployed before 8.30am and the aeromedical team managed to locate the men within two hours.
Video taken by the helicopter crew shows the upturned yacht stranded in the water as a large rescue boat waits nearby.
The chopper crew performed two winch rescues by hoisting the men separately into the aircraft. The father and son were flown to Bundaberg Hospital for observation and remain in stable condition.
The helicopter then returned to the area to assist police in locating a third man, who was on board the yacht when it overturned.
After hours of searching, water police located the body of the 65-year-old man just after 2pm.
It’s understood the three men were travelling from Yeppoon to Brisbane when their boat capsized.
