Chilling video emerges of fishermen lost at sea
UPDATE: Police have given an update on the search for the missing fishermen.
Cairns
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A CHILLING video by one of the fishermen swept overboard in rough seas off Cowley Beach reveals a happy bunch of mates excited about hooking some big fish.
Little did they know 24-hours later their boat would be swamped by huge seas and the four mates would be fighting for their lives.
Tongan national Siosiua Asi was rescued on Sunday clinging to an Esky and buoy after spending 30-hours in the water but a 24-year-old Mission Beach man, as well as two men from Vanuatu aged 26 and 31 remain lost at sea.
Mr Asi can be heard in the video posted on Friday evening saying “it's a beautiful weather to do fishing” from the skipper’s chair of a 5m half cabin runabout.
He was located about 2km northeast of the Barnard Islands and was taken to Innisfail Hospital with hypothermia, but was in a stable condition on Monday.
Vanuatu man Kekly Tari from Port Vila left behind a baby boy to take up a role on a Tully banana farm earlier this year.
His cousin Andrian Tari, overwhelmed with emotion, feared the worst but was hopeful the fishermen would be found today.
“We have had sleepless nights and are very worried, and my parents keep calling wanting to know the updates,” she said.
“At night we sit together at home and we pray and we hope they find them today.
“I just pray the Lord can give them the strength to hold on.
“I just want the whole outside world to pray and praise the Lord for their lives if they are still out there.”
Dexter Bong from Vanuatu and Danny Sheather from Mission Beach, the other two men in the video, are believed to be still missing at sea as the searchers sour the area.
In the latest police update at 3.30pm on Tuesday police stated the search for the three men would be scaled back.
During today’s search police officers scoured Cowley Beach for signs of the missing men and SES volunteers on quad bikes searched from Liverpool Creek to northern most point of Cowley Beach.
Land and shoreline patrols will continue after a personal items were found.
Members of the community and boaties are being asked to report any debris or information to police.
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Originally published as Chilling video emerges of fishermen lost at sea
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