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Search resumes for missing five-year-old boy feared drowned Police divers find body of five-year-old boy who drowned off Sydney beach
(35 minutes later)
Volunteers are joining a full-scale water and air search that is resuming for a five-year-old boy who vanished in a river in Sydney's south on Sunday. The body of a five-year-old boy who went missing in waters off a south Sydney beach has been found, police said.
The boy had been playing in the water with his older brother at a popular picnic spot between Botany Bay and the Georges river at Dolls Point when he disappeared under the waves about 3.45pm Sunday, witnesses said. The boy went missing on Sunday at Dolls Point, sparking a search by police divers and volunteers.
Some witnesses said the boys had waded into the water outside a netted-off swimming area when the youngest was swept away by a strong current. Police said the boy's mother was deeply distressed after being informed that police divers had found her son's body.
A massive search effort involving local police, water police, PolAir, the State Emergency Service (SES) and the Westpac rescue helicopter was launched, but had to be suspended at nightfall. "She is very devastated, as you would expect," a police spokesman said. "It's very traumatic. We all have kids. It hits home."
A police spokeswoman says the search resumed at 8am on Monday. The child had been playing in the water with his older brother at the popular picnic spot between Botany Bay and the Georges river when he disappeared under the waves about 3.45pm on Sunday.
She said PolAir, water police and local police were involved, as well as volunteers from the community. Other witnesses said the boys had waded into the water outside a netted-off swimming area.
"There are a lot of people volunteering to help in the search, " she said. A search effort involving local police, water police, PolAir, the State Emergency Service and the Westpac Life Saver helicopter was launched, but had to be suspended at nightfall.
Police are co-ordinating the volunteers near the Georges River Sailing Club. It resumed at 8am on Monday and police announced just before 10.45am that the body had been found.
The child was last seen wearing a blue singlet and blue shorts, police said, and urged anyone with information to come forward. Police divers said it was found in a natural waterway about a metre deep, where there were strong currents and visibility was poor.
Westpac Rescue's Stephen Leahy said there were many "strong and deep currents" moving through the water where the boy went missing.
"Many of those are particularly close to shore," he told Macquarie Radio.
He described the situation as "very tragic".
"The family were having a great time, the two brothers were playing together then suddenly the little fella disappears," Leahy said.
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