HEARTBREAK
Two bodies found after mystery boating accident
THE bodies of a man and woman feared lost at sea on a boating trip have been retrieved from a rugged stretch of coast near Table Cape, in the state’s North-West. Search and rescue teams had the grim task of lifting the bodies of Bree-Anna Thomas, pictured, and her male friend out by helicopter because the terrain was so hard to reach.
The fate of a second man in the party of three, and the 5m half-cabin boat, remains a mystery and police will continue the search today to try and find answers for grieving family and friends.
IT was meant to be a fun day out on the water for three friends, but a boating trip in the state’s North-West has had a tragic ending.
An extensive search of the coast has not uncovered the vessel in which the group of three left Wynyard boat ramp on Monday morning.
But on Wednesday, the bodies of Wynyard woman Bree-Anna Thomas and one of her two male friends on board were found on the shore at nearby Table Cape.
A search for the body of the other man and the vessel continued until last light and will resume on Thursday.
Police have not revealed which of Ms Thomas’s friends – Isaiah Dixon, of Wynyard, or Thomas Courto, of Ulverstone, is still missing.
When the boat is found police will conduct “rigorous testing” to try to give the families answers about what went wrong.
Due to the rugged terrain between Fossil Bluff and Table Cape, the bodies of the two deceased – found only 200m apart – needed to brought out by helicopter.
They were taken to Wynyard airport and flown to the mortuary at the Launceston General Hospital.
“We always hold out hope we will find people alive but unfortunately that did not happen today and we have had to deliver the terrible news to their families,” Inspector Steve Jones said on Wednesday.
Those families have expressed their thanks for the support shown by the community as they waited for news of their loved ones.
“The families have expressed their gratitude to
searchers and the Wynyard community for how they have grouped around them in their hour of need,” Insp Jones said.
He also thanked Surf Life Saving Tasmania, the SES, volunteer marine rescue personnel and members of the public who went out in boats or rang police with information about where the vessel had been seen.
The scene at the yacht club – where a large group of family, friends and supporters had camped out while they waited for news – was devastating.
The group formed a sombre guard as police delivered the news the families were dreading. Some members collapsed in grief as the horror news hit home.
Hopes that the missing boat had simply broken down and the trio were waiting in Bass Strait to be discovered and rescued started to fade early Wednesday.
“If that vessel is above water we would have found it,” Insp Jones said about noon.
“We have searched up to 2200sq km and there has been no sign of it.”
Less than an hour after those comments, searchers reported two bodies had been found. There are grave fears held for the other man.
The three friends had taken off from Wynyard on Monday morning.
It was a sunny day and the water was calm.
They were seen around lunchtime at Boat Harbour, enjoying the sun on the sand with the boat anchored in the bay.
The vessel – a 5m Caribbean half-cab – was then seen heading out towards Table Cape.
The alarm was raised late Monday afternoon when the trio did not return to Wynyard.
Laiken Farrell, the organiser of a GoFundMe campaign – originally meant to bolster the ongoing search – said the more than $8000 raised would now be given to the families to use as they best decided.
“I can’t imagine the pain these families are in. I felt hopeless and wanted to do something,” Mr Farrell said.
“Maybe the money could be used for a send off for their loved ones. I have no words to explain how sad this is.”