Boating incident off Tasmania’s northwest coast leaves one dead, three rescued after capsizing

Consensus Summary

A boating incident off Tasmania’s northwest coast on Saturday evening June 15, 2024, resulted in the capsizing of a fishing vessel near Robbins Island, throwing four people—three adults and a child—into the water. Three survivors, a 27-year-old woman, a 33-year-old man, and a six-year-old child, were rescued alive after 16 hours in the ocean on Sunday afternoon, having been found on Big Stony Island. All three were wearing life jackets and suffered no serious injuries, though they were taken to hospital for observation. The fourth victim, a 35-year-old man, was later found deceased on Robbins Island on Monday. Police confirmed the group had departed Montagu boat ramp at 5:30pm and that relatives alerted authorities at 8am on Sunday when they failed to return. Search efforts involved the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Tasmania Police’s boat *Van Diemen*, with the missing man’s body recovered after an extensive air and water search. The incident highlights the risks of boating without proper safety gear, as the 35-year-old was reportedly not wearing a life jacket at the time of the capsizing. While most details align across sources, discrepancies include the exact location of the survivors’ discovery and the timing of the missing man’s life jacket removal.