Three Marine Rescue Volunteers Die in Boat Capsize Off Ballina

Three members of a Marine Rescue NSW volunteer crew died after their vessel capsized in heavy seas while responding to a yacht in distress off the South Ballina breakwall in northern New South Wales on Monday evening.

Emergency services received reports around 6:15 p.m. of the yacht struggling near the breakwall amid treacherous conditions, including choppy waves and a swell of up to five meters. A six-person crew from Marine Rescue NSW launched from Ballina to assist. As they attempted to cross the hazardous Ballina Bar, a notorious river entrance known for its dangers in rough weather, their boat rolled over.

Police confirmed three crew members died in the incident: a 78-year-old man retrieved by helicopter, a 62-year-old man found on shore, and another man in his mid-50s located on nearby sand. He was not wearing a life jacket, according to authorities. The four surviving crew members, aged 55, 75 and two in their early 60s, reached shore with non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at hospital by NSW Ambulance paramedics.

The yacht struck the breakwall, broke apart and later sank. A multi-agency search involving police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's...