Teenage boy missing off surf beach in Victoria’s south-east
Updated ,first published
The disappearance of a 12-year-old boy from a rough surf beach in Victoria’s south-east has sparked a massive search.
The boy had been swimming in the waters off the unsupervised Number Four beach at Venus Bay in South Gippsland before emergency services were notified that he was missing around 12.30am on Sunday.
Police began searching for the child with the help of police helicopter, water police, coast guard and the public. Ambulance Victoria paramedics are also on standby.
The Venus Bay Surf Life Saving Club’s championships were just about to be completed when the call about the boy’s disappearance came, the club spokesman said.
Members patrol Number One beach at Venus Bay during the summer months, and the club is about a five to 10-minute drive from Number Four beach.
“Some of the people racing wore red and yellow and joined the patrol because they wanted to help with the search,” the spokesman said. “A pretty standard day, rough seas, wind blowing from the south-west.
“Venus Bay is one of Victoria’s toughest beaches.”
A club spokesman said the beach was filled with thousands of people on Sunday.
While police also searched the sand and surrounding area for the child, it was unclear whether the child had been dragged into the ocean.
In January 2021, a Melbourne science teacher drowned in the bay while trying to help a young girl struggling in the water.
In 2014, another man in his 20s drowned at Number Four beach. Members of the local surf club pulled him from the water, unresponsive.
Life Saving Victoria is encouraging people to swim between red and yellow flags at patrolled beaches.
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