Overview
- A large-scale hunt has entered a third day for a 14-year-old missing since a boat capsized near Barrenjoey Headland at Palm Beach on New Year’s Eve, where one man died and another was winched from rocks to hospital in stable condition.
- Police and lifesavers have resumed efforts at Coogee for a man in his 20s who disappeared on New Year’s Day, with authorities treating the operation as a recovery and the beach remaining closed.
- Separate fatalities were confirmed for a 25-year-old woman swept from rocks at Maroubra and a 45-year-old woman at Dunbogan on New Year’s Day, while a 35-year-old Irish tourist drowned at Whitehaven Beach in Queensland.
- NSW Police, Marine Area Command, PolAir, Marine Rescue NSW and Surf Life Saving assets have conducted coordinated water, air and coastal searches hampered by large swell and poor visibility.
- Officials report at least 85 rescues since Christmas and 19 on New Year’s Eve, and urge the public to avoid unpatrolled locations, swim between the flags and wear lifejackets when boating; the Palm Beach decedent has not been formally identified.