Emergency services in Australia have been forced to suspend separate searches for a missing teenage boy and a young man, concluding a devastating New Year period that saw six people lose their lives along the country's eastern coastline.
Searches Called Off for Missing Swimmers
On Sunday afternoon, New South Wales police announced the suspension of search and rescue operations for a 16-year-old boy. The teenager was a passenger in a boat that capsized off Palm Beach on New Year's Eve. A 47-year-old man died in that same incident. A second man, aged 45, was rescued from rocks by a helicopter winch and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In a separate case, the search for a 22-year-old man missing from Coogee beach has also been suspended. The man, identified as Sushan Khadka, was last seen in trouble in the water on New Year's Day. Police confirmed they had been unable to locate him "despite extensive land and water-based searches." Ben Heenan, president of the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, explained that several swimmers were caught by a rip due to large surf, with three making it back to shore but one, Khadka, unable to return.
A Deadly Sequence of Coastal Incidents
The suspended searches follow a series of fatal incidents over the holiday period. The most recent death occurred on Saturday at Green Patch beach in Jervis Bay, on the NSW south coast. Emergency services were called just before 5pm after reports multiple people were struggling in rough conditions. A 34-year-old man was pulled from the water and despite resuscitation attempts by first responders, he was declared dead at the scene.
The tragic sequence of events included:
- A 25-year-old woman found dead on New Year's Day after being swept into the ocean at Maroubra beach.
- A 45-year-old woman, Melissa Austin, a mother-of-two from Berowra, who died at Dunbogan beach near Port Macquarie on New Year's Day.
- A 35-year-old Irish man who died at Whitehaven beach near the Great Barrier Reef on New Year's Eve.
- A man believed to be in his 50s who was pulled from the water at Lobster Bay beach in Shoalhaven on Friday and died at the scene.
National Drowning Toll Rises
Police stated that while the major searches are suspended, marine patrols will continue in the Palm Beach area and land patrols will persist around Coogee beach. The announcements underscore a deadly start to the summer. According to Royal Lifesaving Australia, the national summer drowning toll since 1 December had reached 29 by Saturday.
The series of incidents has highlighted the dangers of Australian beaches during the summer period, even for experienced swimmers, with rough surf and strong rips contributing to the fatalities. Authorities continue to urge the public to exercise extreme caution, swim at patrolled beaches, and heed safety warnings.
