Shocked locals were horrified when a body washed up on the shore of popular Sydney tourist destination Coogee Beach on Wednesday evening.
The body hasn’t officially been identified, but according to news.com.au it’s believed to belong to 54-year-old Newtown man Marin “Max” Lubric who went missing at Maroubra Beach (about 4km away from Coogee beach) on Saturday.
He was reported missing by his family when he didn’t return after going for a swim, and an official police alert was issued on Sunday.
Police found his car parked near Maroubra Beach but couldn’t find him. The body was brought back by Coogee Beach’s tide four days after Lubric was reported missing.
Police have not confirmed whether the body is indeed Lubric, but his family are assisting with investigations.
The tragedy comes after NSW reached a record high for coastal drownings this summer.
The ABC reported there had been 26 coastal drownings in the state since December 1 as of Tuesday 21 February. This case could be the 27th.
Last year, there were a total of 25 coastal drownings for the entire three months of summer, many of which made headlines for their tragic stories.
Earlier this month, two parents drowned at NSW’s Frazer Beach after they were caught in a dangerous rip, while their 5-year-old daughter cried for help from the shore.
In January, a father drowned while trying to save his teenage daughter while swimming at Back Beach, 75km south of Port Macquarie.
Surf Life Saving NSW warned beachgoers of the dangers of swimming away from red flags.
“The 26 drownings are all drownings that have occurred in an unpatrolled location,” Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce told ABC at the time.
“Out of those 26 fatalities, five of those have been bystander rescue fatalities where someone has entered the water to try to rescue someone and in turn have become the fatality themselves.”
