Stirring moment a group of friends perform an emotional haka as the body of their 16-year-old mate is pulled from a Sydney lake
- A 16-year-old boy went missing on Monday while swimming in Lake Parramatta
- Police divers were called to the scene around 2pm to conduct search operation
- The teen’s body was pulled out of the water just before 6pm, police said
- Friends and relatives performed an emotional haka as his body was taken away
A family outing to a Sydney lake turned into a tragedy after a 16-year-old boy’s lifeless body was pulled from the water hours after going missing during a swim.
Friends and relatives performed an emotional haka at Parramatta Lake, in Sydney’s west on Monday afternoon, after police divers recovered the teenager’s body.
A group of six men were seen paying their respects as the boy’s remains were taken away.
Emergency services were called to the popular swimming hole around 2pm after receiving reports a swimmer had failed to resurface from the water.
RIP: Friends and relatives were seen performing an emotional haka at Parramatta Lake, after a boy’s lifeless body was pulled from the water
A group of six men paid their respects as the teenager’s remains were taken away
The body of a 16-year-old boy has been pulled from a Sydney lake hours after he disappeared while swimming with friends
The incident sparked a land, air and water search operation, with lifeguards diving in to search for the boy to no avail – before police stepped in.
Police divers desperately searched underwater for hours, before finding his body just before 6pm.
The boy’s body was recovered from a lake several metres deep and outside the marked swimming area, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Helicopters had joined in on the search, hovering around the lake in hopes of spotting the missing teen from the sky.
Footage of the search and rescue mission showed anxious family members looking on as emergency services scoured the area.
Emergency services were called to Lake Parramatta, in Sydney’s west, around 2pm on Monday after the teen failed to resurface from the water
The incident sparked a land, air and water search operation, with lifeguards diving in to search for the boy to no avail
Police divers desperately searched underwater for hours, before finding the boy’s body just before 6pm
Loved ones appeared distraught as they spoke to police officers during the search
‘We just heard some people screaming and they said someone was underwater,’ a witness told 7News.
‘Everyone’s coming here to get away from the heat and get a little bit of swim, but after today I don’t know if that’s gonna still happen,’ he added.
Parramatta Lake was evacuated during the search and will remain closed until further notice.
A brief will be prepared for the information of the coroner, police said in a statement.
A woman appeared emotional and was comforted by a man after the teen’s body was found