Two people and a dog were rescued from a life raft in the middle of the night after their fishing boat sunk off the Queensland coast.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority released video footage on Wednesday showing the trio floating in the middle of the ocean.

It said a search and rescue mission had been launched after an unregistered emergency beacon was detected around 139km north-east of Airlie Beach at 7.30pm on Tuesday.

Tracking systems showed a nine-metre fishing boat operating in the same vicinity, and the authority asked the Essendon-based Challenger rescue aircraft to investigate.

“When the Challenger jet arrived (around 12.20am), it found a life raft with two people on board,” said AMSA response centre duty manager Tamara Spindler.

A nearby bulk carrier, the Flourish Power, was also asked to divert and provide assistance.

“The Flourish Power proceeded to the life raft and rescued two people and a dog,” Spindler said.

They were later brought safely to shore by pilot transfer helicopter, with local media reporting that their fishing boat, Santa Monica, had sunk at sea.

AMSA said the incident highlighted the importance of emergency beacons, which should also be registered with up-to-date details to help search and rescue efforts.

“While this beacon was not registered, the alert helped AMSA quickly identify a potential distress situation and coordinate a response,” it said.