A 60th birthday fishing trip in South Otago ended tragically when a fiberglass runabout overturned.
The men were brothers-in-law celebrating their 60th birthday. The boat, a fiberglass runabout, turned over in rough conditions as they approached the Catlins River sand bar near Pounawea.
Police, volunteers, rescue vessels from Coastguard Bluff and Coastguard Dunedin, and a rescue helicopter joined the search for the men.
Emergency services were alerted at 10.40 am, and a body was found on a nearby beach. A second person on the boat was found on rocks nearby, and a dog was also bought to shore.
A spokeswoman for Hato Hone St John said the man was flown to Dunedin Hospital in moderate condition.
The area is known for dangerous conditions, with drownings and near-deaths previously reported after vessels capsized.
The boat was recovered from the water, and the fire brigade was notified of the water incident at 10:38 a.m. The incident was the third time a boat had rolled across the bar in recent memory.
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