Two died in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race

Two people have died in separate incidents taking part in Australia’s annual yacht race from Sydney to Hobart, police said.

Both crew members died in separate incidents after being hit by the boom, a large pole attached horizontally to the bottom of the sail.

Event organizers reported that the incidents occurred on Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline.

The first boats are expected to arrive in Hobart, Tasmania, later Friday or early Saturday. A few have already left because of bad weather.

New South Wales (NSW) Police said the first incident was reported to officers shortly before midnight on Thursday local time (12:50 GMT) by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in the country’s capital, Canberra.

Just over two hours later, at 02:15 on Friday, NSW Police were told that crew on board the second boat were performing CPR on a second person, which also failed.

Flying Fish Arctos was sailing approximately 30 nautical miles east/southeast of Ulladulla in NSW, according to organizers.

Meanwhile, Bowline was located approximately 30 nautical miles east/northeast of the town of Batemans Bay, also in NSW.

“Our thoughts are with the crews, family and friends of the victims,” ​​the organizers said in a statement.

The race that started on Thursday continued.

This is not the first time that people have died during the race, which was first held in 1945.

Six people, including British Olympic yachtsman Glyn Charles, died in 1998 after a violent storm swept over competitors.