The Bundaberg-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter has winched an elderly man from a stretch of mangroves, after his boat overturned, near Turkey Beach.
The 80-year-old reportedly set out in his tinnie around 9 o’clock this morning, to check his crab pots.
He had travelled up a creek, when he ran into trouble and his boat flipped over.
The alarm was raised when the man hadn’t returned as expected and the rescue chopper was called into action by the Queensland Police Service (QPS), just after 3pm.
The RACQ LifeFlight Rescue crew searched the area for about ten minutes, before they spotted the overturned boat amongst the mangroves.
The man had covered himself in mud, to protect himself from mosquitos.
The Rescue Crew Officer was winched down to the mud flats and prepared the boatie for the hoist.
He was then raised to the safety of the helicopter and flown to a nearby boat ramp, where the crew was met by QPS Water Police.
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Flight Paramedic assessed the man, but he did not require any further medical attention.
The crew said the boatie was in good spirits and thankful for being rescued, as he had thought he would be stranded overnight.
