Police will continue their search for a fisherman missing at sea for two nights after a boat capsized off the central Queensland coast.
Two other fisherman were rescued on Friday after the vessel overturned on Thursday night.
Queensland Police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Volunteer Marine Rescue searched from sea and air on Saturday, but were unable to find the 41-year-old man, who is the brother of one of the rescued men.
“Tomorrow the search will resume from first light with similar resources, however grave concerns are held for the welfare of the missing man,” a police spokesman said in a statement.
‘We will continue to search’
Queensland Police said they would notify the public if and when they scale back their search efforts.
“We will continue to search until there’s been a determination by health experts that there is limited or no chance of anyone being recovered alive,” Senior Constable Syrrell Howard said on Friday.
The trio sent out an emergency alert from Creal Reef about 150 kilometres off the coast of Mackay around 8.10pm on Thursday.
It took police vessels between five and six hours to reach the area but visibility was poor.
A rescue helicopter spotted a man clinging to the hull of an overturned vessel on Thursday night before losing sight of him.
“Once they got in closer, for some unknown reason, the man has become detached from the vessel,” Sen Const Howard said.
At 5.55am on Friday, a jet spotted one man and he was rescued before being airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital, Queensland Police said.
The second man was rescued just over five hours later and also flown to hospital.
-AAP
