The bodies of three fishermen washed off rocks along the central New South Wales’ coast have been recovered by police.

The discovery brings to four the number of victims found, with another woman still missing.

Ashley Miller reports.

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TRANSCRIPT

It was a Mother’s Day fishing trip gone horribly wrong.

This morning, police confirmed the bodies of three more fishermen had been recovered from waters around Catherine Hill Bay.

Rescue crews recovered the body of a woman last night. Another woman is still missing.

The group of five had been fishing off the rocks and are believed to have been washed off by a large wave.

Joe McNulty, Acting Superintendent NSW Police: “Sadly, during that evening we believe they’ve entered the water, and now this is the result of that action and we are searching trying to recover bodies today.”

The alarm was raised after the group failed to return on Monday morning.

Friends say the victims had been fishing at the spot before.

Vincent Chan, Family Friend: “I find it very hard to believe. We’ve been fishing this spot for the last 5 years and never been any dramas.”

Locals say the area is dangerous and has claimed lives before.

In Western Australia, three fisherman are lucky to escape serious injury after their cay fishing boat began sinking early yesterday.

The crew battled five metre swells in their lifeboat about two-hundred kilometres out to sea off Esperance, before being air lifted to safety.

Paddy Daniels, Skipper: “I think Anthony’s in a pretty bad way because when they picked him up he got dunked into the water, him and the dog got tangled around the ropes on the raft, and both of them went upside down in the water.”

This is the crew’s second rescue in a week engine woes causing problems the first time.

Ashley Miller, QUT News