Five dead as ‘hazardous’ waves hit Australian east coast

Five people have drowned after huge waves hit parts of Australia at the start of the Easter weekend.

Two others are missing off the coasts of New South Wales and Victoria states.

On Saturday the body of a man was found in the water near Tathra in southern New South Wales. It came a day after a 58-year-old fisherman and two other men were found dead in separate incidents in the state.

Rescuers are searching for a man who was washed into the water near Sydney. Also on Friday, one woman drowned and a man is missing after their group was swept into sea in San Remo in Victoria.

“One of the women managed to make her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to,” Victoria police said.

Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said it marked a “awful start” to the Easter weekend.

“My thoughts are with the family of someone who has lost their life in such tragic circumstances, and potentially there is more difficult news to come,” she said.

Australia’s eastern states have been battered by dangerous waves.

The head of the charity Surf Life Saving Australia, Adam Weir, advised holidaymakers to visit patrolled beaches after their data showed 630 people had drowned at unpatrolled beaches in the past 10 years.

“But these coastal locations can present dangers, some that you can see and some that you can’t, which is why we have some simple advice: Stop, Look, Stay Alive.”