Dozens feared dead in asylum wreck horror
Updated
Dozens of asylum seekers are feared dead after their boat smashed into rocks and broke apart in rough conditions off Christmas Island this morning.
Customs crews and locals are frantically trying to save survivors of the wreck, near Flying Fish Cove.
Witnesses have described being woken up by screaming and then watching helplessly as bodies and wreckage were dashed against the rocks.
Local called police at 5:45am AWDT after hearing screams
Photos show boat foundering in rough seas
Customs confirms women and children on board
Reports of 50 dead
Asylum seekers mainly from Iraq and Iran
Locals watched as boat smashed into rocks and victims drowned
Local electrician Michael Foster has been taking part in the rescue effort and has estimated that about 30 people died.
"By the time I got down there and saw what was going on, there was debris and people everywhere with life jackets on and so forth but a lot of screaming and carrying on," he told The World Today.
"With the horrendous seas as they are, the only thing that people could do from the mainland was really throw life jackets back into the water or just advise them to swim away from the rocks."
Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan described the crash as a serious and tragic incident, and has confirmed some bodies have been pulled from the water.
He would not confirm, however, how many people were alive and how many had drowned.
At 3.00pm AEDT he said the rescue operation was still ongoing.
"You will be brought up to date as soon as we have a clear picture. At the moment the priority is on the rescue," he said.
"A number of people have been rescued, but sadly some bodies have been retrieved."
"It's a very difficult situation."
Mr Swan said Navy and Customs boats were involved in the rescue effort.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has released a statement saying she will return from leave tonight after receiving briefings on the incident.
"This has been a tragic event and it will be some time before there is a full picture of what has happened," the statement said.
"The Government's focus and absolute priority now is on rescue, recovery and treatment of those injured."
Rescue effort
The ABC has been told Customs has launched inflatable rafts to rescue the passengers from rough seas. Locals also threw ropes out to people in the sea.
Documentary maker Philip Stewart, who is on the island, says he has heard reports that 50 people have died.
He says the conditions were too rough for rescuers to get close enough to help many of the people.
"They were waving and shouting and screaming for help," he said.
"They were desperate, by that stage they had been in the water for an hour already.
"They hung on for as long as they possibly could and each one of them was eventually thrown off into the sea onto the rocks."
Mr Stewart says he saw at least one person rescued by Navy personnel, while others clung to bits of flotsam from the boat.
"We did however witness one person jumping off a piece of flotsam and actually swimming towards a naval rescue boat, but unfortunately what we witnessed was a major tragedy," he said.
"We only witnessed one person surviving while the others unfortunately didn't.
"To see people die and not to be able to do a damn thing is one of the worst things you can possibly do."
Unfolding tragedy
Customs has issued a statement confirming an "ongoing situation" on the island.
"This response is ongoing and the AFP's (Australian Federal Police) priority is the safety of all involved in the incident," police said in a statement.
Christmas Island shire councillor Kamar Ismail says around 20 locals watched as the tragedy unfolded, throwing life jackets into the water.
"The boat hit a rock and smashed into pieces ... it was horrific," he told ABC News 24.
"We as the locals travelled there to give a hand but it was just too dangerous for us.
"I was there, [the boat] was floating, people were swimming for help," he said.
"A big wave smashed the boat into the rocks and smashed it into pieces. We weren't far from the rocks ... we were maybe three metres from the cliff. But we just couldn't help ... it was just too dangerous."
Mr Ismail estimates there were 50 to 60 people aboard the boat, including children, before it smashed into pieces.
He says rescue boats arrived about 10 to 20 minutes after the boat hit the rock.
He says he saw some people picked up by the rescue boats but he does not know how many.
He says there was no opportunity for anyone in the water to reach the rocks and the best they could do was to cling on to debris.
Customs has confirmed that those on the boat include women and children. The asylum seekers are mainly from Iraq and Iran.
Sea conditions in the area are so bad that a Royal Australian Navy ship has been unable to land at Christmas Island to drop off asylum seekers picked up from an earlier boat arrival.
The National Critical Care Trauma Response Centre in Darwin is on standby to assist with the treatment of injured asylum seekers, and to take the bodies of those who have died.
Trauma centre executive director Len Notaras says his team is prepared to send doctors to the scene and to transfer patients back to Darwin if necessary.
"I understand there are a number of deceased - I can't comment on the number of deceased or indeed the injuries," he said.
A Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) crew has left Perth bound for Christmas Island.
The plane is carrying two doctors and two nurses and is expected to land on the island about 6:00pm AWDT.
It is understood the doctors will treat two injured men and one woman before flying them to a Perth hospital later this evening.
The West Australian Health Department is on standby to treat the survivors.
First posted
Christmas Island (coloured yellow-top LH corner)
A boat travelling in rough seas capsized off the coast of Christmas Island early this morning. Inside the boat were approximately 70 asylum seekers from Iran and Iraq, many now of which are feared dead. Reports from Government sources indicate that 41 of the 75 asylum seekers were rescued. So far only 27 bodies have been recovered from the water, but authorities believe the death toll could rise to 50. The remainder of people were not accounted for. The incident is believed to have occurred at about 6:00am. 

Residents of Christmas Island first attended the scene to assist in the rescue attempt. The residents rushed to the boat after hearing screams very early in the morning. They then went out and attempted to assist. Customs are believed to be attending the scene currently. Life jackets have been provided, but not every person on the boat has received one. Rough seas hampered rescue attempts. The boat, according to witnesses was upturned and surrounded by large quantities of debris after being smashed against rocks. It is located in the vicinity of Flying Fish Cove.  

Gordon Thomson, president of the Christmas Island Shire stated that the incident was a "very bad situation". The  (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) expressed concern and sadness over the incident.

"We believe that far too many people are tragically losing their lives as they take desperate measures to escape conflict, persecution and poverty," said the UNHCR in a statement on its website.

Christmas Island hosts an immigration center which is currently housing over 3,000 individuals seeking asylum.