Sydney, Jan. 1 (.) A woman has drowned and a man has gone missing while swimming in separate incidents at Sydney beaches in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A police statement said that emergency services were called to reports that a person had been swept out into the ocean at Maroubra Beach, 10 km southeast of central Sydney, around 4 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Officers arrived at the scene and were told that a 25-year-old woman had been knocked into a tidal pool by a wave before further waves swept her out into the ocean.
An emergency search was launched and a body, believed to be that of the missing woman, was located about 5 a.m., police said.
Shortly afterward, emergency services were notified of a man believed to be aged in his 20s in trouble in the water at Coogee Beach, 3 km north of Maroubra Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a police officer ran into the water to help fellow swimmers who tried to save the man, but they were unable to bring him to shore.
A police statement said that an emergency search is underway. A separate search was also due to resume for a 14-year-old boy who has been missing since the boat he was on capsized near a beach in northern Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) on Thursday issued a hazardous surf warning for Sydney and surrounding areas, with police advising that people consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
. XINHUA ARN