A powerful wave struck parts of Australia’s eastern coastline at the beginning of the Easter weekend, resulting in the deaths of five people and leaving two others missing.
The tragic incidents occurred off the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria. On Saturday, emergency services recovered the body of a man from the waters near Tathra in southern New South Wales. This followed the discovery of three other men—one of them a 58-year-old fisherman—who died in separate incidents across the state the day before.
Search operations are ongoing for a man who was swept into the sea near Sydney. In Victoria, another heartbreaking event took place on Friday when a group was pulled into the ocean at San Remo. A woman from the group drowned, and a man remains unaccounted for.
“One of the women managed to make her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to,” Victoria police confirmed.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan described the developments as a “awful start” to the Easter weekend.
“My thoughts are with the family of someone who has lost their life in such tragic circumstances, and potentially there is more difficult news to come,” she said.
Eastern parts of Australia have been experiencing hazardous surf conditions, prompting concern among authorities. Adam Weir, head of the charity Surf Life Saving Australia, urged beachgoers to visit only patrolled locations. He noted that over the past decade, 630 people have drowned at unpatrolled beaches.
“But these coastal locations can present dangers, some that you can see and some that you can’t, which is why we have some simple advice: Stop, Look, Stay Alive,” he added.