Derby police coordinate sea rescue

Police from a remote town in WA’s North West are coordinating the recovery of a number of people stranded on a boat near Koolan Island, about 140km north of Derby.

A police spokesman said sea rescue volunteers from Derby were currently on their way to the scene.

“They have gone out in their boat, which did not start,” a police spokesman said.

“There is no emergency as such, they are just stranded.”

The return trip from the Kimberley town was expected to take several hours.

“What happens will depend on the assessment at the scene,” the police spokesman said.

“They might just pick the people up and bring them back or if the boat is small enough they might tow that back as well, but that will be up to the sea rescue people.”

It is not believed the people on board are in distress.

The police spokesman said the number of people on board the stranded vessel was unknown at this stage.