A man has been taken to hospital after falling overboard from an oyster barge that struck a sandbar in the state’s north this morning.
Emergency services were called to Bakers Beach, east of Devonport, around 9:30am on Thursday after reports a man had gone overboard.
Police said the man was briefly trapped between the sandbar and the barge before other people on board pulled him from the water.
He was treated at the scene and taken to the Launceston General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“The man was part of a group of people returning from a tour of the oyster farm when the incident occurred,” a police spokesperson said.
“WorkSafe Tasmania and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority have been notified of the incident.”
Federal Liberal MP Tony Pasin, the member for Barker in South Australia, has confirmed he was involved in the incident.
In a statement, Pasin said it happened while he was undertaking “shadow ministerial duties”.
He said both he and a staff member were injured. It is unclear whether Pasin or the staff member was the person who went overboard.
“My first priority is the welfare of my staff member,” he said.
“We are both receiving medical treatment and the appropriate notifications have been made to relevant authorities and family members contacted.”
“I thank the first responders who attended the scene and all those involved in providing assistance.”
Pasin is the federal Liberal spokesperson for fisheries and forestry.
