00:01The aftermath of a rescue mission gone wrong.
00:05Last night was the darkest night in marine rescue history.
00:10This rescue boat set off with six crew members on board after bystanders reported a yacht in distress.
00:17It was extremely treacherous bar conditions at the time those marine rescue personnel went to sea.
00:24Two of the volunteers, 78-year-old Bill Ewan and 62-year-old Frank Petch, died when their boat capsized
00:32in high swells on the Richmond River Bar.
00:35I could still hear people shouting for help.
00:37When I realised it was a rescue boat that had also capsized, I phoned the emergency services again and I
00:44let them know straight away that this situation is so bad.
00:47The yacht they were trying to reach broke up and sank. The body of its skipper was retrieved this morning.
00:52It's heartbreaking news of epic proportions to lose volunteers.
00:58The impact of what happened here is being felt beyond Ballina.
01:02I want to pay tribute to their heroism, their sense of courage.
01:05I know the marine rescue fraternity will be devastated by the loss of lives.
01:09We're all very much part of a New South Wales close family group. We all feel this.
01:16While one of the volunteers was winched to safety, the ABC understands three of the injured were able to swim
01:23back to the brake wall, including one with a broken leg and ribs.
01:28The incident highlights the dangers of this bar crossing. For years, locals have called for it to be made safer.
01:35The worst part about it, the last person in the marine rescue to die on this bar was my uncle,
01:421983.
01:44Once the strong swells subside, it's hoped police divers will be able to start recovering evidence later this week.
01:51And I'm going to go, so I'm going over to theioxydries of the debris on theась.
01:52The next person in the last year we got here is,
01:53See you there.
01:53We need to be here.
01:53We'll go to the house on the next day.
01:53You
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