Two marine rescue volunteers died after their boat capsized while attempting to help a yacht in distress off the east coast of Australia, according to New South Wales police.
On Monday evening, a member of the public reported that a yacht appeared to be struggling at a breakwall in Ballina in northern New South Wales, police said.
A vessel of volunteer service Marine Rescue NSW with six crew on board was responding to the call when “their vessel capsized while crossing the Ballina Bar in heavy conditions”, state police said on Tuesday. “At this time, three people are confirmed deceased, while four made it to shore,” police said.
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Two of the deceased, aged 78 and 62, were from the Marine Rescue service, police said.
The body of a third person, a man believed to be in his fifties, was located on the sand near the site of the incident. He is yet to be formally identified.
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The four people who made it to shore, all from the Marine Rescue service, were treated for various injuries before being taken to hospital.