One drowning and another two childrens’ near-drownings have marred the second day of summer.
A 32-year-old man was pulled out of the Colo River in Sydney’s north-west after he was found floating face-down on Sunday morning.
Less than an hour later, paramedics who desperately tried to resuscitate the man were called to Narrabeen Lagoon in Sydney’s north to attend to an unconscious young girl and a nearby struggling boy.
The girl, aged seven, had CPR administered and was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition while the five-year-old boy was also admitted as a precaution.
A 32-year-old man has drowned at the murky Colo River (pictured) in Sydney’s northwest
In Colo River, a popular swimming destination, a group had been swimming just before midday when one man went below the murky water’s surface.
When he didn’t re-emerge, two terrified onlookers dove in after him.
Witness Greg Hicks and his wife dove in the water, grasping blindly for the man, but were unsuccessful.
Mr Hicks told Nine News the 32-year-old victim didn’t surface for ’15 to 20 minutes’.
The man did not re-emerge from under the water (pictured) for 15 to 20 minutes, witnesses say
They pulled the man to the banks of the water and began CPR until paramedics took over.
‘Not good,’ a teary Mr Hicks said.
Locals say the water was full of debris due to logs knocked into the water after a week of storms, with strong undercurrents making swimming dangerous.
Only 90km southwest, disaster struck again with a pair of distressed children pulled out of the water.
A child was seen struggling in the water by horrified onlookers on the banks of the Narrabeen Lagoon.
Beachgoers pulled the conscious boy, aged five, out of the water before a distressed mother said her daughter was still out there.
Meanwhile, two children aged seven and five were rescued from Narrabeen Beach (pictured)
The seven-year-old was unconscious when she was dragged to land minutes later and given CPR by a local father.
Paramedics took over and rushed the children to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Randwick.
The two children will remain in hospital overnight. The boy is in a stable condition, while the girl remains stable.
Hospital staff told Nine News the two children were ‘incredibly lucky to be alive’ thanks to the actions of quick-thinking beach-goers.