Wild weather hampers search for missing teen Jack Smith

The 16-year-old was swept from a tinny on Sunday morning while fishing at a popular Victorian holiday spot.

Missing Shepperton engineering apprentice, teenager Jack Bird.

A young tradie has been identified as the missing 16-year-old boy thought to have drowned following a boat accident at a popular holiday destination on the Victoria-NSW border on Sunday.

First-year engineering apprentice Jack Bird was fishing with a friend at Lake Mulwala just before 9am on Sunday when a wave swept them from their tinny and dragged them into the water.

The two 16-year-olds, who were more than 100m from the shore when the boat capsized, were spotted by onlookers, one of whom located a flotation device and swam to the boys, pulling the surviving teen back to shore.

“The good Samaritan has then tried to go back out to assist the second male that was in the water and is unable to be located at that stage,” Senior Sergeant Nathan Ractliffe said on Monday afternoon.

He said witnesses who were trying to communicate with Jack from the shoreline watched him disappear underwater. “Police are led to believe that a number of witnesses on the shore were trying to communicate with the ­second male and to keep him above water and providing that reassurance,” he said.

The two-day search involving police divers, Search and Rescue, Air Wing, Water Police and the SES has been hampered by wild weather. “Police have found it extremely difficult today to undergo a number of search activities,” Sergeant Ractliffe said.

“The weather conditions today, in the next couple of days, aren’t very favourable to assist police. We’re doing everything we can.”

Just last week the GOTAFE student was recognised for winning gold in the Regional WorldSkills competition in Wodonga.

His family was yet to speak out on Monday night, but is assisting police with their investigation.

“Police are certainly working closely with the family at the stage of the investigation, and the fact that it’s still an ongoing missing person event, we would encourage the privacy of the family,” Sergeant Ractliffe said.

He confirmed that the second boy – who is yet to be identified – was working with police. “(He) is obviously being supported by family and a strong community network, and obviously working closely with Victoria Police to help us with our ongoing investigation,” he said.

Sergeant Ractliffe said police had not yet confirmed whether the boys were wearing life jackets – a concern sounded by locals and holiday-makers on Monday who noted that the popular lake is often lashed with a mixture of high winds and waves caused by speeding boats and jetskis.

Emergency services search Lake Mulwala. Picture: Simon Dallinger

Local resident Leonie Orr, who works on the lake, said reports the boys were not wearing life jackets were worrying, saying safety on the lake was always a top priority for locals. “My only concern is they may not have been wearing life jackets,” she said.

Ms Orr said heavy winds had swept over the lake at the weekend, and the summer season had attracted speed boats, which were jetting around near the shoreline.

“The winds were up yesterday – they have been over the last ­couple of days. And the speedboats create wakes,” she said.

“The wakes hit the shoreline and bounce back – that could have been a factor.”

Emergency services set up base at the Sebel Yarrawonga Resort on Sunday, focusing their ­efforts on an area near to the shoreline of the popular lake, which is known for water sports and cod fishing, particularly during December.

The desperate search for the boy, now feared dead, is expected to continue on Tuesday – 48 hours after witnesses say they saw him disappear under water.