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Two men believed to be in their 70s have died after their boat capsized in rough seas, about 400 metres from shore off Warrnambool, in south-west Victoria.
Police were notified about an upturned vessel about 10:00am and the air ambulance was called in to undertake a search.
The two men, one from Warrnambool and the other a visitor from Canada, were unresponsive when they were pulled from the water.
Their families have been notified.
"We can see here it appears to be calm, but what the conditions were at that time will be be determined," Victoria Police Acting Senior Sergeant Tania Barbery said.
"The water police are attending from Melbourne and will conduct an investigation and prepare a report for the coroner."
The coast guard towed the small upturned boat back to shore and three members of the State Emergency Service dragged it onto the beach.
Dozens of onlookers gathered on the breakwater to watch as the rescue unfolded.
Acting Senior Sergeant Barbery did not say whether the pair were wearing life jackets at the time, saying that would form part of the investigation.
She said anyone going out on a boat should notify the coast guard of their plans.
"We'd be encouraging all the boating community to be notifying the coast guard when they depart [of] where they intend to go, how many people [are] on board their vessel and again when they return to port," she said.
"Boating in general, whether it be recreational or commercial is a wonderful past time and it's something that a great majority of Australians do enjoy.
"But it's something that it does need to be done safely because each year there are deaths on the water and they are deaths that can be avoided if safety precautions are taken, people make sure they do wear their life jackets, do have the appropriate safety equipment."
A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Topics: emergency-incidents, disasters-and-accidents, warrnambool-3280
First posted