Man dead, another rescued after boat capsizes in Australia

Sydney, July 13 (IANS) A man died and another was rescued after their boat capsized when crossing the Tweed River bar in far north of Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state on Saturday.

At around 6.00 a.m. local time, emergency services were called to the north wall of the Tweed River, following reports of two people spotted clinging to the upturned hull of a 6.5-meter half-cabin runabout boat, Xinhua news agency reported.

NSW Police Force confirmed that one man was pulled out of the water before being rushed to a nearby hospital to be checked as a precaution.

A second man was winched from the rough sea by a rescue helicopter. Paramedics attempted to revive him at Duranbah Beach, but the man was declared deceased at the scene.

Police officers are currently working to formally identify the victim.

It is believed that the pair launched their watercraft from Kennedy Drive Boat Ramp in Tweed Heads a short time earlier, and they were heading out across the bar when the accident occurred.

Initial inquiries have suggested that neither of them was wearing a life jacket.

According to the NSW government, the Tweed River originates on the slopes of the nearby Mount Burrell, and flows for approximately 80 km to the ocean at Tweed Heads.

As coastal bars commonly feature shallow depths, shifting sandbanks, strong currents, and large breaking waves, the state government has made it clear to the public that crossing these bars can be very dangerous, even in calm conditions.

The latest forecast showed that a 1.5 to 2.5-meter swell is expected at the Tweed Heads coastal bar on Saturday.

–IANS

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