Queensland dad dies at sea despite son's efforts to try and save him

An elderly man has died despite the desperate efforts of his son to keep him afloat after their tinnie capsized off Queensland.

The men, aged 73 and 40, were in a 4.5-metre runabout when it overturned off Bailey Island, near Mackay, on Thursday evening.

The younger man managed to retrieve an emergency beacon from the boat and activate it, while trying to keep his father afloat.

A rescue chopper found the men but 73-year-old man was already dead.

The 40-year-old was winched to safety and taken to the Mackay hospital for medical checks. His father's body has since been recovered.

The incident follows the loss of six fishermen whose vessel overturned off the central Queensland coast on October 16. Just one member of the crew survived.