Update 9am:

Search suspended after police confirm no one else missing

The search for survivors following last night’s boating tragedy off Ballina has been suspended, with police now confident no one else is missing.

Emergency services were called about 6.15pm on May 4 after reports a yacht was in trouble near the South Ballina break wall.

A Marine Rescue NSW vessel with six crew responded, but capsized while attempting to cross the Ballina Bar in heavy conditions.

Three people have been confirmed dead.

Police say a man believed to be in his 50s was found on the sand near the scene. He is yet to be formally identified.

Two Marine Rescue volunteers — aged 78 and 62 — were also located, one recovered by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and the other on the shoreline.

Four other crew members made it to shore and were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital with various injuries.

The yacht involved is believed to have sunk, with authorities confirming inquiries indicate no other people were on board.

A coordinated multi-agency search resumed on Tuesday morning after being paused overnight due to weather, before being formally called off.

Update 7.30am: Two members of Marine Rescue NSW’s Ballina unit are confirmed to be among three people killed in last night’s boating tragedy off Ballina.

One of the volunteers who lost their life was aged 78, the second aged 62.

The third fatality is understood to have been on board a yacht that had earlier been reported in distress near the South Ballina break wall.

Ballina News Daily can confirm Captain Geoff Hutchison was at the helm of the Marine Rescue vessel when it overturned while attempting to cross the Ballina Bar in a five metre swell.

Mr Hutchison was among four survivors from the rescue boat, which is understood to have had six crew on board.

He suffered serious injuries and was taken to Lismore Base Hospital.

Mr Hutchison was named Ballina Shire Citizen of the Year in recognition of his long-standing service to Marine Rescue, including spearheading fundraising efforts for the vessel involved in the incident.

That vessel, Marine Rescue Ballina 30 (BA30),  cost about $1.4 million.

It overturned during the rescue attempt and has since washed ashore at South Ballina Beach, with fears it may be a total loss.

Earlier Story: Three people have died after a yacht and a rescue vessel got into difficulty in dangerous conditions off Ballina yesterday evening.

A member of the public raised the alarm about 6.15pm after spotting a yacht in trouble near the South Ballina break wall.

The tragedy unfolded at the Ballina bar — a notoriously hazardous crossing in rough conditions.

At the time, the tide was rising toward a late evening high, while heavy swell pushed in from offshore, creating unpredictable conditions at the river entrance.

Three people have now been confirmed dead.

It remains unclear whether those who died were on board the yacht or the rescue vessel.

Above: Geoff Hutchinson presented with Citizen of the Year on Australia Day.

Main image: The search off the south break wall last night.

Four people made it safely to shore and were assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.

A rescue helicopter was deployed to light up the scene, with at least one survivor understood to have been airlifted to a nearby sports field and transferred to a waiting ambulance.

The yacht is believed to have sunk, with authorities still working to determine how many people were on board.

Officers from NSW Police Force, including Tweed Heads Water Police and Richmond Police District crews, remain at the scene.

The large-scale search effort continued into the night, coordinated by Marine Area Command from Sydney, with support from the AMSA Challenger jet.

The search is ongoing.

More to come.