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Seven dead and one missing after boating accident in New Zealand Seven dead and one missing after boating accident in New Zealand
(35 minutes later)
Seven people were killed and another person has gone missing after a boating accident near Auckland, New Zealand, police said. Seven people are dead and another is missing after a fishing boat capsized near Auckland in New Zealand.
Insp Duncan Hall said the chartered fishing boat, Francie, was carrying 11 people when it got into trouble in Kaipara harbour, near Auckland, on Saturday. He added that rescuers managed to pull three survivors from the water who were taken to a local hospital. The Francie charter boat capsized mid-afternoon on Saturday in the Kaipara harbour, north-west of Auckland, according to New Zealand police.
Rescuers reportedly recovered five bodies from the water soon after the accident. Another two bodies washed ashore at nearby beaches and were found early on Sunday. An emergency rescue mission was underway by 3.30pm, involving police, search and rescue services and local surf life-saving teams from nearby Muriwai beach.
Police, coastguard, St John Ambulance, Surf Life Saving staff, rescue helicopters and a fixed-wing plane conducted an extensive search on Saturday after the boat was reported overdue at 3.30pm. The Francie, a 12-metre-vessel that was carrying 11 people, got into difficulties while attempting to cross a treacherous sand bar in the Kaipara Harbour.
Police were still trying to establish what happened to the boat and how its occupants ended up in the water. Three people were rescued from the water by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, and police confirmed they are now in hospital, though could not comment on their status.
According to the Metservice, there were one-metre swells and wind gusts of up to 50kmph (31mph) in the harbour on Saturday afternoon. Witnesses told Television New Zealand that rescuers in helicopters plucked the survivors from the water and placed them on a beach, where locals kept them warm until ambulances arrived.
The air search was put on hold on Saturday evening due to poor weather conditions, while shoreline searches around South Head and Te Oneone Rangatira beach continued overnight. During search and rescue efforts last night five bodies were recovered, and another two bodies were found in the early hours of this morning washed up on local beaches, police said.
An air search for the missing person was suspended overnight and resumed on Sunday in the harbour, which is about 75 kilometres (47 miles) northwest of Auckland. But rough weather could hamper search efforts. All are believed to have been passengers onboard the sunken Francie, the debris of which has begun washing up onshore.
Of the three survivors, two have been discharged from North Shore hospital, while the third remains in a stable condition. A search began at 7am for the final passenger of the Francie, missing since the capsizing, and now in the water for more than than 18 hours.
Eyewitnesses told Television New Zealand that rescuers in helicopters plucked the survivors from the water and placed them on a beach, where locals kept them warm until ambulances arrived. The fate of the skipper and owner of the boat, Bill McNatty, is unknown.
The TV station reported that the accident happened at the entrance to the harbour, an area which is notorious for producing treacherous boating conditions. Local Kaipara man and charter boat operator Tony Walles said he heard a call from McNatty on the VFX radio about 2.30pm on Saturday, saying he was attempting to cross the bar and he expected it would take one hour.
The Francie is a 12-metre steel launch used for chartered fishing trips. The Facebook page for Francie Charters says the boat is licensed to carry up to 20 people with two crew members. Walles said sea conditions at the time were rough, and getting progressively worse, with sea swells rising to 3-4 metres.
None of the other five boats in the harbour attempted the crossing, he said.
“I am feeling very sad for the people who have departed.”