Tragic image shows what went wrong in boat disaster that killed three

A heart-wrenching image of life jackets floating in the water at Botany shows what went wrong where three men died on Sunday.

The heart-wrenching image, which emerged after a dramatic but unsuccessful police operation to rescue the men, shows the unworn jackets bobbing in the water.

Three men, two of them cousins and the third a friend, were believed to be out fishing on Sunday afternoon when their boat overturned near the lighthouse at Cruwee Cove about 12.30pm.

The first two men were found unconscious in the water by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter and brought to shore where paramedics began CPR, and the third was found by the NSW Ambulance Toll Rescue Helicopter shortly after.

All three men were said to be “critically ill” when they were found, and all died at the scene.

NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Geoff Senior said emergency crews at the scene had found the situation “hard” to deal with.

“Three people went out on a nice day on a boat and they haven‘t come back to their loved ones, so it’s a tragedy and it’s hard on the paramedics that have a technical and professional job to do but also will feel for people as well,” he said.

The tragedy was compounded just hours later when a 40-year-old woman lost her life in Moama, on the NSW/VIC border, after her boat also capsized.

Police were called about 4pm to reports a boat had overturned after hitting a submerged tree.

One man, a woman and two children were pulled from the water, but the second woman was not found for more than an hour.

She was declared dead at the scene.

Reports for both cases will be prepared for the coroner.