Sydney radio host Roman Butchaski is missing after taking a solo fishing trip in Queensland.Photo:Roman Butchaski/Facebook
Roman Butchaski/Facebook
An Australian man has been missing for two days after embarking on a solo fishing trip.
Roman Butchaski, a former radio host with Australian channel 2GB, embarked on a “solo fishing trip in Cape York peninsula on Sunday afternoon” and “a major search and rescue operation is now underway,” 2GB radio host Ben Fordham said on hisbreakfast showMonday.
Fordham spoke to another Australian journalist looking into the case,Country Caller’s Harry Clarke, during Monday’s program, who said that Butchaski “was last seen at 8 a.m. on Sunday.”
Air and land searches have been underway for the last two days, Clarke said. So far, a few of Butchaski’s belongings have been found left on the banks of the Olive River in North Queensland.
When Fordham asked about the known crocodile presence in the waterways where Butchaski was last seen, Clarke said, “The Olive river is a tidal, salt-water river, and like all waterways in that area, they’re known crocodile habitats so that’s certainly one of the things that search crews are taking into consideration.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Science (DES) told theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC) that there is “no evidence that a crocodile is involved in this incident,” though they noted the risk in the area.
“Olive River is known croc country and people in the area are reminded to be crocwise in every choice.”
Bloomfield River in North Queensland, Australia.Getty Images/iStockphoto
Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Butchaski is the former host of a fishing show about angling. His former cohost, Gavin Pitchford, told Fordham on Monday’s program that his former co-host also has diabetes. Pitchford said he’s worried Butchaski could have “suffered some kind of episode.”
He said in a statement, “I’m devastated. Butchy walks the banks up there regularly. He’s been fishing there forever.”
On Tuesday, police called in more officers to the northern peninsula to assist in the search for the former radio host, who is in his 60s, theBBCreported.
Though the area is known to be home to crocodiles, Queensland Police Senior Sgt. Duane Amos said that Butchaski is familiar with the area as he frequently fished there before, according to the outlet.
“He was well-prepared for a normal expedition that he has undertaken before,” Amos said on Monday.
Per Australian broadcast channelABC, Amos described Butchaski as “an avid fisherman” with “familiarity” of the region he was visiting.
source: people.com
