Boy died after being trapped between rocks, bring Easter weekend death toll to six

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Seven people have drowned in Australian waters over the long weekend in what coastal authorities are describing as the worst Easter on record. A nine-year-old being the most recent death. The young boy died after becoming stuck between rocks off the shoreline at South West Rocks. Bringing the death toll to six in NSW over the Easter weekend.

Transcript

00:00It's been a devastating weekend for families who've lost a loved one to drowning, the

00:06latest a nine-year-old boy.

00:09Emergency services were called to a beach on New South Wales mid-north coast at South

00:13West Rocks at around 3.30pm after reports a young child had been trapped between rocks

00:20and the shoreline.

00:22Now when New South Wales Police, New South Wales Fire and Rescue and Surf Life Saving

00:27New South Wales arrived and tried to free him from where he was trapped.

00:32They unfortunately couldn't save him and he died at the scene.

00:36Now New South Wales Police are investigating the circumstances around this incident to

00:41try and understand what happened and will be preparing a report for the coroner.

00:46Now this brings the death toll in New South Wales caused by drowning to six.

00:52A father had passed away yesterday morning at Guatemala Beach after being swept off the

00:58rocks.

01:00There was also another three deaths along the New South Wales South coast at Tarthra, Wollongong

01:06and Green Cape as well as a death in Sydney's North Shore suburb of Mossman.

01:13Now in addition to this, Surf Life Saving New South Wales say they've carried out 150 rescues

01:19across the weekend describing this as the worst Easter long weekend in history.

01:24Now police are continuing their search for a 24 year old man who was swept off the rocks

01:29here at Little Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

01:33Now many of these deaths over the weekend caused by drownings were a result of being washed

01:38off of rock shelves and so authorities have really expressed their concern and warnings to

01:44the public around visiting the beach especially as the Bureau of Meteorology are predicting a

01:50warmer than usual winter and so the advice is to only visit patrolled beaches and to swim

01:56between the red and yellow flags.

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