Tragic new details emerge after boy swept out to sea at The Entrance on NSW Central Coast

The search for a missing 11-year-old boy who was swept into the sea during a fishing trip with his father and brothers has entered its third day.

Emergency services were called to The Entrance Channel, on the NSW central coast, about 5.15pm on Sunday after reports a child had been swept into the ocean.

Police said a 43-year-old father was crossing the canal with his four boys (aged 11, nine, seven and three) when the eldest child was pulled into the water.

Bystanders rushed to the father’s aid and tended to the other three boys as he desperately tried to reach his other son.

However, that did not work and the 11-year-old boy was swept away by the strong tide.

Rescue helicopters, water police and surf lifesavers searched for the boy until dark, before the search resumed on Monday morning.

Witnesses recall seeing the father helping his youngest sons cross the canal, while the eldest son followed behind.

It is understood the boy was carrying a camping chair on his back as the family crossed the infamous Channel. It is not known whether the missing boy could swim.

“We heard screaming, looked over and saw a man running through the water,” Sarah Bailey said 7 News.

‘And then we saw a little boy in the waves with his arm up. He was really struggling.’

Another witness, Gary Phillis, said the boy was “gone within seconds” and that his father was “hysterical.”

Two bystanders helped care for the man’s younger children as he frantically tried to save his son.

The distraught father was later pictured sitting on the sand and hugging his youngest son tightly as he was comforted.

It is understood the mother had not gone on a fishing trip but traveled to the Central Coast with family and friends on Monday when the search resumed.

The family, who are from non-English speaking backgrounds, said they would like to thank “the community, residents and locals” for their support and assistance during “this extremely difficult time”.

Tuggerah Lakes Inspector David Piddington told media on Monday that NSW Police have a specialist family liaison to assist the family.

“The family are very distraught and as I said, they are very well supported by our family liaison and chaplains, and we will help them as much as we can,” he said.

Police divers found the boy’s chair, towel and esky before the search was called off just after 4pm on Monday.

The boy was swept into the sea about 20 minutes after lifesaving volunteers ended their patrols for the day.

The entrance channel is one of the most dangerous locations on the Central Coast due to strong currents during changing tides.

The treacherous channel, known as the ‘black spot’, connects Tuggerah Lakes to the ocean.

Many people cross the canal at low tide to return to The Entrance car park or to access the North Entrance.

However, when the tide changes, the strong currents that pull water out to sea become a tremendous force.

In 2016, two fishermen drowned in the Entrance Canal after falling into the water while fishing.

In 2012, 15-year-old boy Keon Sbrugnera also drowned after falling into a rip while swimming with friends.

The same year, a strong current during a rising tide pulled a Toyota HiLux ute into the middle of The Entrance Channel.

An excavator had to be called in to remove the ute from the water.

The 11-year-old boy’s family is from an Arabic-speaking background, prompting warnings in multiple languages ​​for those unaware of the channel’s hidden dangers.

In a number of places near the canal there are signs warning beachgoers of the dangers.

The signs, written in English, warn people to “beware: fast, changing currents and deep holes.”

The warning also states that the area poses a ‘known hazard to fishing, night wading and swimming’ and urges people to visit the nearest The Entrance, a patrolled beach about 400 meters away.

Locals believe the signs are not enough to deter visitors and that three separate steps and handrails actually lure people into the water.

The Entrance Channel warning signs are also written only in English, which proves problematic for non-English speaking visitors.

Surf Life Saving Central Coast chief executive Michael Hyslop said the effectiveness of the signs would be considered.

Mr Hyslop added that the signs are an ongoing problem for the club, especially in warning people whose first language is not English.

“Yes, look, there is signage down there and all these things will be part of the ongoing investigation as well,” Mr Hyslop said. The Daily Telegraph.

‘It is clear that we always have difficult times to spread our message, [but] As I said today, our focus is on finding an 11-year-old boy who has gone missing.”