5.30pm
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BYSTANDERS with boats and jet skis helped rescue nine people after a boat sank in Lake Eppalock on Sunday afternoon.
Local Glenn Cornell was among the bystanders who stepped up to help return the capsized boaters to shore.
Nine people and a dog escaped serious injury in the incident which took place about 2.20pm. Police believe one dog died.
Mr Cornell was just returning from fishing when a fire truck pulled up to the ramp.
"The firey basically jumped out and said, 'Can you give us a hand?', said there were some people in the lake, were possibly in the water," Mr Cornell said.
They sailed to far side of the lake, where they found two children waving from a rock ledge.
They pointed to seven other people around a corner, also on a rock ledge beside the lake.
The group was out of the water by the time rescuers reached them, but had no way back except by boat.
Mr Cornell said apparently the boat had turned round sharply, when waves came over the front filling it with water and it started sinking.
He said the group believed it had only taken five minutes for the boat to go under water.
It had sunk completely by the time Mr Cornell and the firefighter arrived on scene.
Mr Cornell believed the group had swum 20-40 metres.
The pair took two young girls and a woman back to shore. A jet ski took a few more people back shortly after.
OTHER NEWS:
Mr Cornell then made another trip to pick up two men and a dog.
He said you didn't think twice about helping when a situation like that happened.
"You just do what you've got to do," he said.
"You just hope if you're in trouble, you hope someone will help the same way."
5pm
A DOG is believed dead after a boat capsized in Lake Eppalock on Sunday afternoon.
All people on the boat escaped without serious injury.
Police have been told the boat was towing a biscuit when it made a sharp turn and capsized about 2.20pm.
There were seven people on the boat and two people on the biscuit.
Two dogs were also on board at the time.
The boat sank and one of the small dogs did not resurface and is presumed dead.
Locals helped to bring the capsized group to shore.
Two teenage girls were taken to hospital in a stable condition after a boat capsized on Lake Eppalock on Sunday afternoon.
The pair were both experiencing neck soreness and were transported for further assessment.
A police investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
3.30pm
TWO people have been taken to Bendigo Hospital in a stable condition.
3pm
LOCAL boats have brought people to shore after a boat incident in Lake Eppalock on Sunday afternoon.
No one was seriously injured in the incident.
Earlier
UP TO nine people have escaped serious injury after a boat overturned in Lake Eppalock.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed they had been called to a boat overturning, but no one appeared to be seriously injured.
A spokesperson said reports were of as many as nine people in the water.
Occupants of the boat have been brought ashore at Boat Ramp 2.
State Emergency Service and Country Fire Authority crews are assisting on scene.
More to come.
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