Four people rescued from sinking boat off the Tiwi Islands

Four people have been rescued clinging to their sinking catamaran, with authorities warning the dramatic incident serves as a timely reminder for boat safety.

Four people have been rescued from the sea after their catamaran capsized off the Tiwi Islands.

Four people have been rescued clinging to their sinking boat after capsizing off the Tiwi Islands.

Northern Territory Water Police were alerted by a beacon activation of a vessel in distress at 1.50pm Friday.

CareFlight responded via helicopter from Darwin and found four people in the water clinging to the capsized 6.5m catamaran at Bowen Bay, on the southwest side of Bathurst Island.

The CareFlight crew deployed a life raft that the four were able to climb into to safety.

Australian Border Force also deployed a boat which collected the four people from the life raft.

The Border Force reported all were safe and had not suffered any injuries.

They were taken back to Darwin before being reunited with family.

Police from Wurrumiyanga also attended the scene, notifying the Port Authority of the exact location of the capsized vessel.

Acting Senior Sergeant Anthony Clarke said it was a timely reminder for all boat owners to check their safety equipment and check their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons were up to date and registered.

“Having a registered EPIRB and all persons having easy access to their life jackets has been crucial to keeping these four safe,” he said.

“Authorities were able to respond quickly and deploy assets to ensure they were safety rescued in a timely manner.

“Police would also like to thank CareFlight, Australian Border Force and members of the public who assisted with this incident.”