Three people had to be rescued off the coast of Australia after the yacht they were travelling on was attacked by sharks.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the trio were around 835km Southeast of Cairns in the Coral Sea when they ended up under siege from sharks. The AMSA said “several attacks” damaged both hulls of the vessel.
AMSA rescuers said they were alerted to a Russian-registered emergency position-indicating radio beacon at 1.30am. The beacon, from an inflatable vessel known as Tion, had departed from Vanuatu.
The AMSA said: “We responded to a Russian-registered emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) at 1:30am (AEST). The EPIRB was registered to a 9-meter inflatable catamaran Tion with three people on board. The vessel departed from Vanuatu and was bound for Cairns when contact was established. Both hulls of the vessel have been damaged following several shark attacks.
“AMSA requested the assistance of Panama-flagged vehicle carrier Dugong Ace and tasked the Cairns-based Challenger Rescue Aircraft to the scene. Dugong Ace successfully conducted the rescue and collected three people: two Russian and one French citizen. They are due to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday morning.
“This is a timely reminder to always carry a distress beacon while on the water. GPS-equipped EPIRBs and personal locater beacons (PLBs) can save your life in an emergency. Make sure your distress beacon is properly registered with AMSA.”
