Coastguard’s National Operations Centre was alerted by Police at about 5.30pm after someone on board called to say their boat was sinking. The call cut out within 10 seconds, but Police used the phone’s location data to find the boat and sent the Police Eagle helicopter and a Northern Rescue helicopter for air support and requested Coastguard Maraetai.
The Eagle crew arrived first and spotted all five people in the water. A member of the public in a nearby boat pulled four of them out. Coastguard Maraetai volunteers rescued the fifth.
Coastguard Maraetai then took all five to Kawakawa Bay, where one person required medical treatment.
