Boating accident in Tasmania’s northwest coast kills one, three rescued after 16-hour ordeal
Consensus Summary
A tragic boating incident off Tasmania’s northwest coast on Saturday evening left one 35-year-old man dead and three others—including a child—rescued after 16 hours in the water. The group departed the Montagu boat ramp at 5:30pm for a fishing trip, but their vessel capsized or broke up around 9pm, throwing all four into the water near Robbins Island. Three survivors—a 27-year-old woman, a 33-year-old man, and a six-year-old child—were found alive on Sunday afternoon on Big Stony Island, all wearing life jackets and uninjured, though they were taken to hospital for observation. The missing man’s body was discovered on Monday, prompting police to confirm his death and express condolences to his family. Authorities conducted an extensive search involving helicopters and marine vessels, while relatives raised the alarm early Sunday morning after the group failed to return. The 35-year-old man’s life jacket status remains unclear, with conflicting reports on whether he had removed it before the incident. The cause of the accident and the fate of the vessel remain under investigation.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Four people—three adults (ages 27, 33) and a six-year-old child—left the Montagu boat ramp west of Smithton at 5:30pm on Saturday for a fishing trip.
- The boat capsized or broke up around 9pm on Saturday, throwing all four into the water off Tasmania’s far northwest coast near Robbins Island.
- Three survivors (27yo woman, 33yo man, and the six-year-old child) were rescued about 1pm on Sunday near Big Stony Island, 16 hours after the incident.
- All three rescued individuals were wearing life jackets and suffered no injuries, though they were taken to North West Regional Hospital for observation.
- The missing 35-year-old man’s body was found on Monday on the eastern side of Robbins Island; police confirmed his death.
- Relatives raised the alarm at approximately 8am on Sunday after the group failed to return to the Montagu campground.
- The search involved Westpac Rescue Helicopter, marine rescue vessels, and Tasmania Police’s boat *Van Diemen*.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Inspector Anthea Maingay stated the 35-year-old man ‘had a life jacket on at one point but took it off’ before the incident.
- The 35-year-old was friends with the rescued family (mother, father, and child).
- The vessel has not yet been retrieved as of the article’s publication.
- The group was staying at Montagu campground at the time of the trip.
- The three rescued individuals were described as ‘floating in the ocean’ before being found.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC says the boat ‘capsized’ while NEWSCOMAU and ABC (second article) say it ‘broke up’—no consensus on exact cause.
- ABC’s first article states the 35-year-old ‘is understood to have not been wearing a life jacket,’ but ABC’s second article says ‘all four occupants were thrown into the water’ without specifying his life jacket status.
- NEWSCOMAU reports the rescued trio were ‘floating in the ocean’ before rescue, while ABC describes them as ‘washed ashore near Robbins Island’ before being found on Big Stony Island.
Source Articles
Body found in search for 35yo man who went missing after boat capsized
Police say a body has been found in the search for a 35-year-old man who went missing after a boating mishap in Tasmania's far north-west at the weekend....
Search underway for missing man after three rescued at sea
Tasmania Police says three people have been rescued with, a man still missing, after a fishing boat "broke up" in waters off Tasmania's north-west coast....
Sad update after campers’ boating mishap
A group of campers were rescued after spending 16 hours in the ocean after their boat broke apart. However, one remained unaccounted for....