Five people have died and two more remain missing after powerful waves struck Australia's eastern coast at the start of the Easter weekend, prompting renewed safety warnings from authorities.
In southern New South Wales, a man's body was recovered from the water near Tathra on Saturday. His death follows a string of fatal incidents in the state, where a 58-year-old fisherman and two other men were found dead on Friday in separate drownings.
Rescue teams are currently searching for a man swept into the water near Sydney. In Victoria, tragedy struck when a group was caught in the surf off San Remo on Friday. One woman drowned, and another man remains unaccounted for.
"One of the women managed to make her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to," Victoria Police confirmed.
Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan called the events an "awful start" to the holiday 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.
Hazardous surf conditions have pummeled Eastern Australia in recent days. Adam Weir, head of Surf Life Saving Australia, cited sobering data to urge the public to stick to patrolled beaches.
"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," he said.
The series of incidents has sparked concern among emergency services, who continue to monitor conditions and assist with ongoing search operations.
