The families of six missing fishermen are clinging to hope they will be found alive nearly two days after their trawler capsized in treacherous conditions off the Queensland coast.
All six men were believed to be below deck on Monday night when their vessel rolled off the town of Seventeen Seventy.
The sole survivor so far, crew member Ruben McDornan, spent hours in the water before he was saved by a passing yacht.
The desperate search continues for six others – including Eli Tonks, Adam Bidner, Adam Hoffman and skipper Ben Leahy – who remain missing.
‘My son and his co-workers… I have no words, we are just waiting,’ Mr Tonks’ mother Jenny posted on Facebook.
Six fishermen (including crewman Eli Tonks, pictured with his fiance) remain missing after their trawler capsized in treacherous conditions off the Queensland coast
Ben Leahy (pictured) is believed to have been in the engine room at the time the boat sank, and police believe he may have been electrocuted
Mr Bidner’s sister Jodie wrote: ‘I need every one’s hope and will to help my brother Adam who is currently one of the missing men off his Trawler.
‘Adam is strong, stubborn and fit and I’m hanging on to the fact that if anyone is a fighter it’s Adam Bidner.’
She later added: ‘Hang in there bro… we will find you.’
Mr Bidner’s mother Kay struggled to compose herself as she told The Courier Mail: ‘Right now, we’re just together as a family and we’re praying.’
Eli Tonks (pictured) is believed to have been below deck as the trawler sank on Monday night
Mr Bidner’s (pictured) sister Jodie wrote: ‘I need every one’s hope and will to help my brother Adam who is currently one of the missing men off his Trawler’
One of the people aiding the helicopter search is RACQ LifeFlight chief operations officer Brian Guthrie, who went to school with missing skipper Mr Leahy.
He said Mr Leahy was a very experienced seaman and diver, and that had given him some hope the men might still be alive.
‘He’s always been in boats around the water, diving and things like that,’ Mr Guthrie told ABC radio on Wednesday.
‘He’s very experienced in the water and I expect his crew would be exactly the same. If anyone’s going to give it their best shot, for the best outcome, these guys would be it.’
The sole survivor so far, crew member Ruben McDornan, spent hours in the water, clinging on to the trawler’s hull before he was saved by a passing yacht
Mr McDoran (pictured) was above deck when the boat capsized about 7.30pm on Monday night, and held on to the hull of the boat until it sunk about midnight
Mr Guthrie said six helicopters and one plane were spearheading Wednesday’s search, supported by vessels on the water.
Eight hours of searching on Tuesday yielded some debris but it was not yet known if it came from the missing boat, he said.
Wetsuits, thongs and a bucket were among the belongings found in the ocean on Tuesday, The Australian reported.
The area being searched is larger than it was on Tuesday, allowing for the impacts of sea drift and tides.
The men were believed to be trapped inside Dianne, (pictured) a fishing trawler which has sunk off the coast of Queensland
The mother of Mr Tonks (pictured) said: ”My son and his co-workers… I have no words, we are just waiting’