Nine feared dead after Indonesian fishing boat capsizes off Western Australia

An AMSA-operated Challenger maritime surveillance aircraft (Photo: AMSA)

Nine Indonesian fishermen are feared to have died after their vessel capsized off the northern coast of Western Australia on Monday, March 21.

The unnamed vessel had 12 people on board and was sailing near Ashmore Reef some 630 kilometres off Broome when the incident occurred.

The vessel was initially detected off Ashmore Reef at around 19:00 local time on Sunday, March 20.

Following the capsizing in the early morning of Monday, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) directed the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier PSU Sixth to divert to the fishing vessel’s last reported position to render assistance.

The bulk carrier’s crew later pulled three survivors out of the water. One of the survivors, a man in his 50s, was critically ill and had to be airlifted to hospital in Broome.

The critically ill survivor was later transported to Perth.

The search continues for the remaining nine crewmen of the ill-fated vessel, which was reportedly struck by a large wave, causing it to capsize.


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