Rescued fisherman's rescued as hopes fade for finding mates alive
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The only fisherman rescued from a capsized trawler off Queensland has be reunited with loved ones in emotional scenes at Gladstone.
Ruben McDornan was greeted by his overwhelmed wife as he alighted from a helicopter on Thursday.
But while McDornan's family is clearly relieved at his survival, the families of six other men have been told to prepare for the worst.
Search crews have not given up on finding the six fishermen missing off central Queensland's coast but, short of a miracle, their task now is to find and return their bodies.
The men are presumed to have died in wild seas off the town of Seventeen Seventy after their fishing vessel, the Dianne, capsized and sank on Monday night.
Their families were told on Wednesday that if they were not found by nightfall, the chances of anyone still being alive would be negligible.
However, the search is continuing on Thursday, with authorities hopeful that improving weather conditions might allow them to find the men.
Relatives of skipper Ben Leahy, 45, and crew members Adam Hoffman, 30, Eli Tonks, 39, Adam Bidner, 33, West Australian Zach Feeney, 28, and Chris Sammut, 34, have gathered in Gladstone, where the search is being coordinated.
About a dozen vessels, two choppers and two planes are scouring Bustard Bay where the Dianne, used to harvest sea cucumbers, went down.
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A fleet of 4WDs and an amphibious vehicle are also scouring the shoreline.
Poor weather has hampered the search, forcing choppers back to base at times over the past few days, but conditions are expected to improve from in the afternoon.
Mr McDornan, the sole known survivor, has stayed close to the search zone since he was rescued by a passing vessel on Tuesday morning. He spent hours in the water, clinging to the fishing boat's upturned hull.
The men were below deck when their sea cucumber trawler capsized near Middle Island. Photo: QPS
He has been helping authorities refine their search plan.
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