Mass surf rescue; one youth missing

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32803, 31 December 1971, Page 14

Mass surf rescue; one youth missing

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 30. A youth is missing, feared drowned, after the biggest mass surf lifesaving rescue at Port Waikato.

The youth was in a party of 1.3 teen-age boys and girls who were swept up to 150 yards out to sea in heavy surf today. I The beach was not being patrolled at the I time.

The group entered the water wearing shirts and jeans about 2.30 p.m., and were almost immediately dragged into a large hole. The chairman of the Sunset Beach surf patrol (Mr W. R. Duncan) said tonight that three surf club members

were on the beach when the 'group was swept out to sea. The club members dashed I into the crashing sea and supported a number of the teen-agers to shore. Another member who arrived at the ; beach when the incident oc-i curred rushed into the water with three neophene inflatable lifesaving tubes. A number of the young-1 sters were brought to shore I 'using the tubes. | Mr Duncan said that only 'when surf club members were taking the names of the rescued was it realised that; a person was missing. The group, who arrived ini two cars, came from the Papakura district. The missing youth is T. Wright-Sinclair, aged 17. ANOTHER RESCUE About 10 minutes after the mass rescue, Mr Duncan said, a 17-year-old girl was rescued at the same spot. Conditions were described as nasty—waves breaking in : a formation of four sets | pounding the shoreline. Mr Duncan said the group of Macri and pakeha youths ' had dashed into the water land had gone straight into

the hole. The ages of the group’s members ranged from 12 to 21 and they were I swept from 50 to 150 yards ' out to sea. The police tonight were searching the coastline for the missing youth.