A pregnant woman, three kids among seven people rescued from croc-infested riverbank

A group of recreational fishos has become heroes after rescuing seven people stranded on the banks of a croc-infested river.

A pregnant woman and a toddler were among seven people plucked from the banks of a croc-infested Top End river during a dramatic late-night rescue in teeming rain near Maningrida on Easter Sunday.

The incident happened about 2am when passengers on board the recreational fishing vessel Seachange awoke to what one of the crew described as “blood curdling screams”.

Closer inspection revealed a boat on its side about 200m up the bank of the Goomadeer River, an hour west of Maningrida.

Stranded on the bank were the boat owner, his pregnant wife, three children aged under six and two family friends.

The stricken boat after high tide rolled in next morning.

The 10.5m cruiser was purchased at Christmas and is understood to be worth hundreds-of-thousands of dollars.

In a social media post, Seachange owner and NT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Greg Ireland said he and his six mates on board responded to an SOS from a sinking vessel with a family on board.

“At 2am ... we responded to a duress call from a sinking vessel with a family on board,” he wrote on Facebook.

“It has been a stressful time but happy that it all ended well from a safety perspective.

“It serves to remind us that when travelling to remote locations, every decision is critical and every preparation you make is potentially crucial to your survival.”

NT Chamber of Commerce chief executive and rescue hero Greg Ireland.

The accident happened at low tide so the passengers were able to make it to shore but they might have struggled to find a safe spot in the dark and rain as the tide flowed in.

Speaking on Tuesday as he departed Maningrida with some new crew, Mr Ireland said passengers on the stricken boat had earlier anchored about 200m from the Seachange on the Goomadeer River.

“When it pulled at anchor it ended on the shoreline, but because it was too steep it was unable to rest on an even keel and they disembarked onto the bank when they felt they were unable to recover the boat.”

After being woken by screams from passengers on the shoreline, Mr Ireland and a fishing buddy boarded a smaller vessel attached to the Seachange and headed to the riverbank and the stranded seven.

The Seachange last week.

In pouring rain they loaded the passengers onto the smaller boat and ferried them to the safety of the Seachange.

“They were a bit distressed about what had occurred in the middle of the night, particularly the young kids, but chocolate Easter eggs and lollie snakes calmed things and everyone slept soundly next morning.”

Police arrived in response to the emergency call a few hours later.

“They were all wearing life jackets when we found them and they had a satellite communicator so they would have been rescued,” Mr Ireland said.

“It would have been an uncomfortable night on the mangroves, but fortunately we were five minutes away.”

NT Police have praised the efforts of rescuers.

“NT Police would like to commend the actions of the rescuers and all those who assisted in conveying the family back to Maningrida and securing the vessel in place for salvage,” a spokesman said.

“This was an excellent result and police would continue to urge everyone out on Territory waterways to make sure you have the required safety equipment and let someone know your plans, in particular where you are going and when you will be back.

“Plan ahead and stay safe on the water.”

The spokeswoman said a salvage plan was being prepared to retrieve the boat.