Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Fishing crew feared dead after Cyclone Ilsa shipwreck
An Indonesian fishing boat crew shipwrecked for six days on a remote island say nine fishermen were lost at sea during Cyclone Ilsa.
April 18, 2023
Nine Indonesian fishermen are feared dead after Tropical Cyclone Ilsa destroyed their vessel off the Western Australian coast.
Another 11 were shipwrecked without food and water for six days on a remote island in The Rowley Shoals, about 300 kilometres west of Broome.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the surviving crew were rescued late Monday after a surveillance flight spotted their makeshift camp and beached boat on small sandy island.
“The survivors reported that there had been two fishing vessels with 10 crew each but one vessel had sunk in the extreme conditions of the cyclone, ” a spokeswoman said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The remaining vessel managed to rescue the only survivor before being washed ashore on Bedwell Island.”
The survivors were flown to Broome for medical care.
Cyclone Ilsa tracked down the Kimberley coast before crossing the coast northeast of Port Hedland as a destructive as a category five system about midnight on Thursday.