A body has been recovered in the search for a young boy swept out to sea in front of his family while on a fishing trip on the NSW Central Coast at the weekend.
Laith Alaid, 11, was crossing a channel at The Entrance about 5pm on Sunday when he was caught up in the outgoing tide.
His father, 43, got his three other sons aged three, seven and nine to safety but he could not reach Laith.
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Emergency services were called back to The Entrance about 2.30pm on Wednesday when a body was found in the water.
“While the body is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of the missing boy,” NSW Police said.
Relatives said the family had visited and fished at the popular tourist spot for years, and had crossed the unpatrolled channel at least three times on Sunday before tragedy struck.
The emergency triggered an extensive multi-agency search for the child, although there was no sign of him until Wednesday.
Family member Zeid Alhirz previously said loved ones were desperate to find the boy.
“We really hope that we can find him,” he said.
“No matter what it takes, we have to find him. We have to find him so that his father can rest easy.”
The family were visiting from Sydney and had been fishing when it is understood they took a shortcut across the channel between an estuary and the ocean.
Laith was swept away while the tide was going out.
Bystanders looked after the other three children while Laith’s father tried to reach him.
“(The father) came here by himself and with his four beautiful boys … and he tried to save them all, he saved three and by the time he turned around (Laith) was gone … in a split second,” Alhirz said.
Inspector David Piddington said “lots of people try to move across that channel” but he advised against it.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.