A family fishing trip turned tragic on the Central Coast in New South Wales when an 11-year-old boy was swept away at The Entrance channel, a known danger zone for swimmers. The boy was crossing the water with his father and three younger brothers on Sunday afternoon when he was pulled into the strong currents, disappearing within minutes, Stuff has reported.
Eyewitness Sarah Bailey told Nine News that onlookers could only watch as the father frantically tried to reach his son. "We noticed a little boy in the waves with his arm up, and then the next minute, he was gone. We just couldn’t see him," Bailey said. She described the father’s heartbreak as he and one of his older sons fell to the ground, overcome with emotion.
The incident sparked an extensive land, sea, and air search involving police divers and jet-skis, stretching as far south as Avoca. Though search efforts were paused briefly on Monday evening, they resumed on Tuesday morning. So far, only the boy's towel and a beach chair have been recovered.
Inspector David Piddington explained that the family, who had recently moved to Granville from Iraq, was visiting the coast from western Sydney. Relatives have traveled from Sydney to support and translate for the family, as English is not their first language.
The tragedy has reignited concerns over the lack of multilingual warning signs at The Entrance. Surf Life Saving Central Coast chief executive Michael Hyslop confirmed that the need for foreign-language signage would be part of the investigation. “This is one of our black spots on the Central Coast,” he said. “It’s a big no-swim zone for us, with strong currents and outgoing tides that make it extremely dangerous.”
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