A fishing vessel which capsized and sank off the central Queensland coast with six crewmen on board has been found, police have said.
The skipper, Ben Leahy, 45, and crew members Adam Hoffman, 30, Eli Tonks, 39, Adam Bidner, 33, Chris Sammut, 34, and Zach Feeney, 28 are believed to have died when their boat the Dianne was caught in rough conditions near the town of 1770 on Monday night. The discovering follows days of searches, using seven aircraft.
Queensland police confirmed they had found the boat using sonar about 5km off Round Hill Headland on Friday afternoon. Water police will remain at the scene overnight and a full recovery operation will get under way on Saturday morning.
Families of the missing men on Friday chartered two vessels to join authorities in their efforts to find the men’s bodies.
Meanwhile, four sailors have spoken of the remarkable rescue of Ruben McDornan, the sole known survivor, who was saved when a couple on a passing vessel heard his screams for help. Exhausted, injured and wearing only a pair of boardshorts, McDornan spent hours treading water after the Dianne sunk to the sea floor.
He was reunited with his wife and his mother in Gladstone on Thursday.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report.
