Australian Authorities Suspend Beach Searches Amid New Year's Eve Tragedy
Emergency services in New South Wales have suspended separate searches for a teenage boy and a male swimmer off two Sydney beaches, amidst a chaotic New Year's Eve period that has claimed the lives of six people across the country.
A 16-year-old boy who was on board a boat that capsized at Palm Beach is still unaccounted for. A 47-year-old man died in the incident, and his body was recovered from the water by surf lifesavers. The missing teenager is believed to have been a passenger on the same boat, which capsized amid rough conditions.
Meanwhile, a separate search for a 22-year-old man who went missing at Coogee Beach has also been suspended. Sushan Khadka, 22, was last seen struggling in the water at Coogee on New Year's Day, and police have conducted extensive land and water-based searches without finding him.
Coogee Surf Life Saving Club President Ben Heenan warned that large surf had caused several swimmers to be swept out of the water. Unfortunately, one of them did not make it back to shore, prompting an immediate search operation. Despite extensive efforts, Sushan Khadka's whereabouts remain unknown.
The suspensions come after six lives were lost at Australian beaches during the New Year period. A 34-year-old man died at Green Patch beach in Jervis Bay on Saturday, while a 25-year-old woman was found dead at Maroubra Beach earlier this week due to warnings about hazardous surf conditions.
In other incidents, a 45-year-old woman died at Dunbogan Beach near Port Macquarie on New Year's Day, and a 35-year-old Irish man lost his life at Whitehaven beach in Queensland. A search operation for a 32-year-old man who went missing while snorkelling off the coast of Western Australia has been scaled back.
The Australian summer drowning toll since December 1 has reached 29, according to Royal Lifesaving Australia.
Emergency services in New South Wales have suspended separate searches for a teenage boy and a male swimmer off two Sydney beaches, amidst a chaotic New Year's Eve period that has claimed the lives of six people across the country.
A 16-year-old boy who was on board a boat that capsized at Palm Beach is still unaccounted for. A 47-year-old man died in the incident, and his body was recovered from the water by surf lifesavers. The missing teenager is believed to have been a passenger on the same boat, which capsized amid rough conditions.
Meanwhile, a separate search for a 22-year-old man who went missing at Coogee Beach has also been suspended. Sushan Khadka, 22, was last seen struggling in the water at Coogee on New Year's Day, and police have conducted extensive land and water-based searches without finding him.
Coogee Surf Life Saving Club President Ben Heenan warned that large surf had caused several swimmers to be swept out of the water. Unfortunately, one of them did not make it back to shore, prompting an immediate search operation. Despite extensive efforts, Sushan Khadka's whereabouts remain unknown.
The suspensions come after six lives were lost at Australian beaches during the New Year period. A 34-year-old man died at Green Patch beach in Jervis Bay on Saturday, while a 25-year-old woman was found dead at Maroubra Beach earlier this week due to warnings about hazardous surf conditions.
In other incidents, a 45-year-old woman died at Dunbogan Beach near Port Macquarie on New Year's Day, and a 35-year-old Irish man lost his life at Whitehaven beach in Queensland. A search operation for a 32-year-old man who went missing while snorkelling off the coast of Western Australia has been scaled back.
The Australian summer drowning toll since December 1 has reached 29, according to Royal Lifesaving Australia.
six lives lost already in jan... and it gets worse, search ops have been suspended due to rough surf conditions 
a 16-yr-old boy is still missin from a boat that capsized at palm beach 
and another guy went missin at coogee beach too 
Six lives lost already this year and it's only mid-January... The thought of those two people, still out there in the water, gives me chills 
. I feel so sorry for their families and friends who are left with all these unanswered questions. It's not just about the numbers, it's about the human lives that have been lost. 
That's just heartbreaking 
. Anyway, hope the family of the missing teens and Khadka gets some answers soon 
. Six lives lost in one day is just devastating 
. The fact that they're suspending beach searches now doesn't change the tragic circumstances and it's clear these conditions can be deadly 
.
. I'm so worried about those families who are still searching for their loved ones 
. It's just not worth the risk 
.
.
like come on guys, prioritize finding the missing guy! i'm sure he's still out there somewhere, struggling to stay alive. 29 people already dead due to reckless swimming and it's just business as usual 
what's next?! we need more support and better safety measures at our beaches, not suspension of critical search operations 
. The suspensions are kinda justified tho, it's not safe for the authorities to keep searching in such rough conditions 
my heart goes out to the families of the people who lost their lives in the water over New Year's Eve 
29 people gone in just one month... it's gotta stop somehow 
. I swear, kids these days need to learn how to respect the ocean... it's not just a playground anymore 
. And six lives lost already? 29 since December 1? It's like Australia is just asking to be tested by the ocean every summer 
. Mark my words, someone else will die out there soon...
. Suspending the searches for now is probably the right thing to do, but it's just a temporary reprieve from the reality of what happened 
. More than ever, we need to talk about ocean safety and how to respect our oceans 
We need more support for families of those who've lost loved ones 
the Aussie beaches are just gettin' more treacherous 
I mean, six lives lost already? It's just too much 
it's just common sense 
.
. Furthermore, the fact that search operations have been scaled back in Western Australia highlights the need for a national coordination system to effectively respond to water-related incidents across the country