3 rescued after boat capsizes off Australia's east coast

SYDNEY, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Three men have been rescued and hospitalized after a boat capsized off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland amid hazardous sea conditions on Friday.

Queensland authorities launched a search and rescue operation after the boat hit a large wave and capsized near the Gold Coast region in the early hours of Friday morning.

All the rescued were treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics before being taken to a nearby hospital in a stable condition.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the first two men sustained minor injuries while the third suffered a foot injury.

The Bureau of Meteorology on Friday morning issued a hazardous surf warning for a 300-km stretch of Queensland's coast from K'gari, also known as Fraser Island, in the north to the Gold Coast in the south.

"Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating, and swimming," it said.

Surf Life Saving Queensland advised that people should consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas and that boaters planning to cross shallow waters and ocean bars should consider changing or delaying their voyage. ■