A man has died, a 14-year-old boy is missing and another man has been rescued after a boat capsized in heavy swell off a beach in northern Sydney on Wednesday.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, New South Wales police said emergency services were called to Palm beach about 11.35am, after reports that a boat had capsized near Barrenjoey Headland, about 40km from the Sydney CBD.
Sign up: AU Breaking News email
“A man was pulled from the water by Surf Life Saving members and treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics,” it said. “However, he died at the scene.”
Acting Insp Nicole Turner from the Northern Beaches police area command described the incident as “tragic”.
She said the search for a 14-year-old boy believed to have been a passenger on the boat continued on Wednesday evening. The search was assisted by a police helicopter and Marine Rescue NSW.
Rod McGibbon, president of the NSW Surf Life Saving Northern Beaches, told the ABC the search for the boy was hampered by difficult conditions in the ocean.
“Surf Life Saving have a number of assets out on the water, including jetskis,” he said.
“Conditions are not great, there’s quite a large swell coming in and a bit of wind as well … which would have undoubtedly contributed to the incident with the boat.
Police said a second man was able to climb on to rocks after the accident.
A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance said a helicopter performed a winch rescue of the man from the rocks at the headland.
The man, who is in his 40s, was transported to North Shore hospital in a stable condition after being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The deceased man was yet to be formally identified and his cause of death has not been confirmed.
McGibbon said: “We wouldn’t want to see this happen on any day, but particularly in that New Year and Christmas period.
“People are enjoying time with their family through the New Year and Christmas period and you don’t want to see something like this happen.”
