SYDNEY: Two lifeboat crew racing to a stricken yacht of f eastern Australia died when their vessel capsized in heavy seas, police said on Tuesday.

The body of a third man, who is yet to be identified, was found on the shore nearby.

A crew of six sped to the yacht in distress on Monday evening near a breal
Their lifeboat capsized in `extremely treacherous`ocean conditions with a 2.5 metre (eight-foot) swell, New South Wales police superintendent Joe McNulty told journalists.

`Some of the Marine Rescue crew were trapped in the hull. Some were ejected from the vessel and, unfortunately, two lives have been lost,` he said. The volunteer lifeboat crew members who died were aged 62 and 78.

The stricken yacht hit the breakwater and broke up, police said.-AFP