Emergency beacon triggers dramatic multi-agency search after fishing boat capsize

April 23, 2025

A fishing trip took a terrifying turn when a boat’s engine failed and it capsized sparking a dramatic rescue on Wednesday morning.

Three people including two teenagers were on board when the boat overturned off the coast of K’gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland.

An emergency beacon was activated, triggering a major multi-agency operation involving Queensland Water Police, Marine Rescue Queensland, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

A Bundaberg-based LifeFlight helicopter crew was also called out at 8.15am — at which time no one knew what had happened or who needed help, Queensland Ambulance Service said.

It wasn’t until the LifeFlight crew arrived at the GPS location of the beacon at Sandy Cape that they discovered three people stranded on the beach.

An adult man and two teenagers who were on board the boat when it lost power and capsized had managed to swim 50m to 100m to shore, QPS said.