Young boy dies after fall at South West Rocks in NSW amid ‘absolutely horrific’ weekend with six dead and one missing
A young boy has died after a fall at South West Rocks on the Mid North Coast of NSW.
His death comes after six people died and one remains missing in what lifesaving bosses have called an “absolutely horrific” weekend for drownings.
Emergency services were called to the shoreline of South West Rocks at about 3.30pm yesterday, where the nine-year-old boy had become stuck between rocks.
Firefighters managed to pull him out, but he died at the scene.
Earlier yesterday, a fisherman died and a teenager was taken to hospital after being washed off rocks in Sydney’s south.
The pair were swept into the water at Wattamolla, in the Royal National Park, around 11am, in what is the sixth drowning death this Easter.
The man died at the scene. He is yet to be identified.
His 14-year-old son was taken to the Children’s Hospital at Randwick in a critical condition.
NSW Police are investigating.
It marks the worst Easter weekend on record for drownings in NSW with six dead and one missing.
On Easter Sunday there were 50 rescues in NSW with another 100 lives saved since Good Friday, 30 of them involving the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
Surf Life Saving NSW bosses say a combination of hot weather, the long weekend seeing people flock to the coast, as well as the “enormous” swell proved a deadly combination.
“For such a religious weekend, this has been absolutely horrific from a coastal drowning perspective,” SLSNSW CEO, Steve Pearce said.
“It would be the worst Easter drowning toll that we have seen in New South Wales on our records.”
Close calls include a rock fisherman at Bass Point on the south coast and another at Avoca further north.
At Coffs Harbour three swimmers were pulled from the water by lifesavers.
However, conditions have now eased in some areas, but beachgoers are still urged to take extra care.
The Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled a hazardous surf warning for Byron Coast, Coffs Coast and Macquarie Coast.
