Twenty-one people have been rescued from a life raft after a fishing charter boat capsized in rough seas off the central Queensland coast.
Police said the 21 were thrown into the water before climbing into the raft after the Longline boat ran onto Swain Reefs, about 200 kilometres off Yeppoon, just before 5.00am today.
The Australian Rescue and Safety Authority (AusSAR) swung into action after receiving two emergency beacon signals, sending a fixed-wing aircraft, three choppers and three nearby boats.
After the rescue the 21 were returning to Yeppoon. There were no reported injuries.
There were severe thunderstorms and winds gusting to about 80km/h in the Swains Reef area overnight, Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said.
The storms would cause sea swells just over two metres, which "would make any small boat be bumped around a lot", Mr Dutschke said.
Cassy Hunt of Norwal Reef Charters, which operates fishing charters in the area, said her father reported winds of up to 70 knots at Swains Reef overnight.
"We usually get anything from five to 30 knots," she said.
AAP, Paul Tatnell and Glenda Kwek
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