Man dead, another critical after being swept off rocks at Port Kembla
One man is dead and another is in a critical condition after they were swept off rocks at Port Kembla on Friday night.
Emergency services were alerted after three men were swept into the sea just before 7pm, at the popular rock fishing spot known as Hill 60 near Fishermans Beach – the same location where three men died three weeks ago.
Lake Illawarra police officers, Surf Life Saving NSW crew, Highway Patrol officers and the Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter launched a search and rescue operation.
Witnesses helped the rescuers to locate the three men, who were about 25 metres offshore, a NSW Police spokeswoman said.
It’s not known whether the men were wearing floatation devices. At least two of them had been fishing before they were swept off the rocks, the spokeswoman said.
A Highway Patrol officer entered the sea with a flotation device and swam out to the men, along with a member of the public.
Two men and the officer were retrieved from the water by the Surf Life Saving crew in an inflatable rescue boat, taking them to Port Kembla beach.
CPR was performed on one of the men, but he died at the scene. The second man was uninjured.
The third man was winched from the water by the helicopter crew, and taken to Wollongong Hospital where he is reported to be in a critical condition.
The Highway Patrol officer and the member of the public who entered the water to assist with the rescue were both uninjured.
However, two other police officers suffered minor injuries during the rescue.
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Jenny Noyes is a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald.