‘Christmas Miracle’: Four teens who disappeared while paddleboarding in Rosebud beach FOUND ALIVE
MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VICTORIA: The four teenagers who went missing while paddle boarding in choppy waters off Victoria’s Mornington peninsula, Australia, have been found alive on a small island, following a dramatic overnight search.
The two 18-year-old boys and two girls, 18 and 19, were reported missing at around 8.00 pm on Monday, December 19 after a passer-by found their belongings including mobile phones and a car, at the Rosebud Beach off Port, Nepean Road. Victoria police said the teenagers were paddling out on two inflatable boards in Victorian waters when they were caught in strong high tides. A desperate search was immediately launched to locate the group, who had traveled to Rosebud to celebrate finishing their final school exams.
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The search came to an end on Tuesday morning when the Victoria police confirmed that all four teenagers have been located alive near Swan Island, around 20km away from Rosebud. Victoria Police Acting Superintendent, Terence Rowlands, noted that the group was found by a security staff who was out on their routine morning walk. "They (the teens) were very cold and very relieved to be on dry land," he told reporters according to Daily Mail. "Luck has a lot to do with it," he further added.
Great news! Four teens missing in waters off Rosebud have been found alive on Swan Island. More to come.
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) December 19, 2022
While two teenagers were airlifted to Geelong Hospital, the other two teens were transported by ambulance. It was reported that the teenagers are all in stable condition with no obvious injuries. Acting Inspector Ian Pregnell said the loved ones of the teens were overcome with emotion upon hearing the good news. "It was quite an emotional time for the families, all too often these things usually end in tragedy so one might say this is a Christmas miracle," he told 3AW.
Earlier on Tuesday, the father of one of the teens, Jack Shi said he was left frustrated after the search was suspended for roughly three hours owing to "deteriorating circumstances." “We’re very much frustrated. We have been waiting here since yesterday evening,” Shi said. “A lot of people are helping. We really appreciate that but we just hope it can be noticed by more people.” He said he was especially worried for the teens as he knew that their swimming skills were not that great. “(They’re) not good swimmers ... they do not have the skills to swim in the bay,” he told 7 News.
Alerting the citizens, divisional superintendent Terry Rowlands said the incident is a warning for all Victorians this summer. "[Finding the teenagers was a] sensational outcome but just to remind everybody about the dangers that our waterways pose, particularly over the summer period," he said.