Search for fisherman under way after empty boat found floating off coast
A man is missing and an urgent search continues hours after his fishing boat was found empty and floating off the coast.
Police found the vessel about 20 nautical miles east of Burleigh Headland at 2am on Friday morning, several hours after the 44-year-old man was expected to return to Runaway Bay Marina.
Nine News identified the man as Ash Haigh, an experienced fisherman and leading member of the Gold Coast Game Fishing Club.
A massive search is underway, stretching as far as Byron Bay on the NSW north coast. A large number of aircraft were deployed.
The boat may have sustained minor damage, Senior Sergeant Shannon Gray told reporters on Friday afternoon.
“Overall it’s in pretty good shape, but there is some water in the hull and there will be further inspection,” he said.
Gray added that the keys were found in the seat, not in the ignition.
“I wouldn’t think [that’s typical]but the circumstances of what happened on the boat are still unknown, and we may never know exactly what happened.
“There are two boarding stairs [on the boat]one had fallen into the water… I am not prepared to speculate at this time as to what that means.”
Search efforts continued on Friday night.
