Bulli Point boat tragedy: Boy, 5, seen frantically clinging to boat
A five-year-old boy who drowned at sea off the Wollongong coast at the weekend was seen frantically clinging to the capsized fishing boat screaming for help at night fall. The bodies of the boy and father-of-three Saadallah El Kourouche (pictured) were recovered Sunday.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A five-year-old boy who drowned at sea off the Wollongong coast at the weekend was seen frantically clinging on to the hull of the capsized fishing boat screaming for help as giant swells battered the vessel at night fall.
The boat carrying four people capsized near Bulli Point on Saturday evening. The boy’s father, 31, and another man, aged 23, were pulled from the water 100 minutes later by a rescue helicopter crew and taken to Wollongong Hospital for treatment.
A search for the boy and a 28-year-old man resumed on Sunday morning after being suspended at midnight on Saturday.
The capsized boat was towed into Port Kembla harbour on Sunday morning where police divers found the body of the five-year-old boy.
Police later recovered the body of father-of-three Saadallah El Kourouche, 28, from the water near Corrimal, south of Bulli Point.
The Daily Telegraph understands none of the adults had been wearing life jackets but the boy at one stage had.
The boy’s father is said to have been left “deeply traumatised” and is at home recovering after being treated for shock at hospital.
One onlooker said: “I heard someone screaming, it was dark, there was a little figure holding on to the side of the boat which had been turned upside down.
“We rang emergency services immediately. He sounded really distressed.”
Life saving crews told of the horror of trying to locate the four in the pitch black as a voice called out for help.
“We got a call at 6:25pm on Saturday night and headed out on a boat to hear screaming, the words ‘help, help, help’ came from the water for about two minutes and then there was silence,” said Surf Life Saving Illawarra duty officer Anthony Turner.
“The voice in the water was panicked and exhausted.
“We used infra-red cameras to scan the ocean, we couldn’t see anything, it was dark and even though there was a full moon we couldn’t see.
“Normally we get this news and it ends well but, tragically, this time it didn’t.
“One of the two men we rescued was in a severe state of shock.
“Our heart goes out to the family, it’s a very sad set of circumstances. We did everything we could ... but sadly it did not end with good news.”
The three men and the child left Bellambi boat ramp on a fishing trip about 1.30pm on Saturday.
Mr El Kourouche’s sister Hayat, from Carnes Hill in Western Sydney, said she had been told her brother had tried to save the screaming boy.
“Something happened, I rang one of the rescued guys, they said they hit a rock, and were thrown out of the boat,” she said.
“My brother was trying to save the kid. They were all scared.”
Acting Wollongong Police District Commander Brad Ainsworth said there was speculation the boat hit a reef and capsized about 6pm.
Life jackets and the navigation skills of those on board will form part of the police investigation.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr El Kourouche’s stepfather paced the headland as rescue crews searched the water.
“He’s my stepson, that’s my boy out there,” he said.
“It’s been so long, since last night, what are the chances of him being found alive?
“We’re really shocked, the whole family is, we didn’t even know he had gone fishing.
“He’s got three kids, they’ve lost their dad.”
Originally published as Bulli Point boat tragedy: Boy, 5, seen frantically clinging to boat