Terrifying close call as man almost dies trying to save the lives of two children after spate of drownings hit Australia
- A man has almost died while trying to save the lives of two children in rough surf
- The close-call occurred south of Sydney and follows several drowning scares
- Earlier, man in his 60s suffered partial paralysis after being dumped by a wave
- The cluster follows a horror summer in Australia with 30 drownings this month
A man almost died while trying to save the lives of two children in rough surf on Boxing day.
The close-call occurred at Windang Beach at the entrance of Lake Illawarra south of Sydney and follows a cluster drownings across Australia’s east.
Following his heroic efforts, the man, who is aged in his 40s, was revived when an off-duty nurse performed CPR before paramedics arrived.
It is believed the man and two children were pulled to the shore by lifeguards shortly before 5pm.
A man has almost died while trying to save the lives of two children in rough surf at Windang Beach on Lake Illawarra south of Sydney
The rescues follow a horror summer so far for Australians in the water with 30 people having drowned this month alone.
On Christmas Day, the body of a diver was retrieved from rocks on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
The man was diving with a friend off the coast near Cape Schanck before he got into trouble and drowned.
Less than 24 earlier, a father and son drowned at a beach on nearby Phillip Island after they, and the man’s other son, 11, were reported to be in distress.
The 45-year-old and his 20-year-old son, who were both from Melbourne’s south-east, died at the scene.
Also on Christmas Day, the body of a 46-year-old South Korean national was recovered at Lake Conjola on the New South Wales south coast.
He is believed to have gone missing while snorkeling and was pulled unconscious from the water by family and bystanders.
The rescues follow a horror summer so far for Australians in the water with 30 people having drowned this month
The tragedies occurred before after a string of near-misses in New South Wales’ waters throughout Boxing Day.
In the early afternoon man in his 60s was dumped in the surf and suffered suspected spinal injuries at Palm Beach on the Northern Beaches.
The man is said to have been surfing when neck pain led to paralysis on the left side of his body.
He was later stretchered to a nearby ambulance and his updated condition remains unknown.
Further north on the Central Coast, several teenagers are said to have became trapped in a cave after the tide began to rise.