Two fisherman fire flare as boat sinks

24/09/2019

Two fishermen fired a flare after their boat sank in Australia.

They were rescued by emergency services personnel around 2km from the Shoal Bay boat ramp in the Northern Territory.
The boat went down in rough water one afternoon in September. But the men managed to set off a flare and contact emergency services.
Water Police, Surf Life Saving NT (SLSNT) and Careflight responded along with two Northern Territory Emergency Services (NTES) vessels which were training out on the water.
The two men ended up in the water after their vessel sunk, but they stayed afloat with life jackets. They eventually made their way to shore at the mangroves east of Buffalo Creek and updated emergency services with their location.

The Careflight helicopter arrived first on the scene and the two men were taken on board the police vessel and returned to land uninjured.
Northern Territory Police Sergeant John Pini said it was an excellent response from SLSNT and the NTES crews. “If the men had still been in the water, the extra vessels would have been vital to providing adequate coverage of the search area quickly.
“Having flares, life jackets and a means of communications dramatically improved the chances of this rescue being successful and not a tragedy.
“Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers from SLSNT and NTES who along with the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard all play a vital role in our rescue system. Thank you to Careflight for their response. An ‘eye in the sky’ and possible winch capability enhances distress response enormously.”
The image is from the PFES news website.