Georges River Drowning: The desperate search for two missing children in a river in Sydney’s southwest has resulted in tragedy, with the bodies of two toddlers discovered close to where a lady drowned. A mother and two children were seen in distress in the water soon after 10 a.m. on Saturday, prompting emergency services to respond to a boat ramp on Floyd Bay in Lansvale, in Sydney’s southwest.
A 32-year-old woman was pulled from the water a short time later, but she could not be saved. Following an intensive search, the bodies of a five-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy were located at around 2 pm, according to NSW Police. All three individuals have yet to be publicly recognized. Acting Superintendent Luke Scott of the Fairfield Police Area Command stated that the woman was discovered with the assistance of spectators and boats commandeered for the search.
“With their support, we were able to proceed quickly through that search operation, but those two children were tragically discovered dead. This investigation has evolved from a search operation to… (an investigation into how those persons got into the ocean). “They were on that pier, the circumstances of how they came off the pier and into the water is what we’re looking into.”
Bodies were discovered after children reported a local woman drowning in Sydney’s Georges River.
Acting Superintendent Scott said the trio had been visiting Shearer Park before being discovered in the water. He stated that one possibility authorities were exploring was that the children had fallen into the river and the woman had gone in to save them. However, he emphasized that the specific causes of the incident are “unknown”.
“We are looking at several lines of inquiry… our investigation is still in its early stages. Acting Superintendent Scott stated that the three of them were alone, with no other members of their group present. “These are awful conditions. It’s beyond words how heartbreaking it will be for everybody who witnessed this, as well as the family involved.”
Police believe the current was quite strong when the trio went into the river, and that rain, wind, and a “number of environmental factors” hampered the search attempts. The search involved several entities, including police, Marine Area Command, the Polair helicopter, and SES. A report will be created for the coroner’s records detailing the three deaths.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to call Fairfield Police or Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.
