Australia Australia - Hugo Palmer & Erwan Ferrieux (fnd dec), both 20, Brit & Fr, Port Macquarie, 18 Feb 2019

cybervampira

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NSW Police Force

A search continues this morning for two overseas tourists missing at Shelley beach, near Port Macquarie.

Items of property belonging to two men, both aged 20, were found at the beach by morning walkers around 6.30am yesterday (18 February 2019).

Inquiries identified their rental car, a silver Commodore Station wagon, QLD registration plates 141-YML, in the Shelley Beach car park. A search of the wagon found a number of other personal items, including travel documents.

A water and ground search commenced involving police from Mid North Coast Police District, Marine Rescue, SES, NSW Police Force Marine Area Command. There has been no sign of the pair.

Police are appealing to anyone who might have seen the men or their Commodore near the Shelley Beach car park or in the surrounding streets to contact them.

Englishman Hugo Palmer (depicted on the right) is described as being of Caucasian appearance, with fair hair 180cm tall and of athletic build.

His French companion Erwan Ferrieux has dark hair, brown eyes, a tanned complexion and is between 175-180cm tall.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.

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Hugo Palmer missing: Search for British tourist in Australia after items found on beach
 
Water And Ground Search Continues For 20 Y.O. Tourists Missing At NSW Beach

Search and rescue services are today continuing efforts to locate two international tourists reported missing yesterday at a beach near Port Macquarie, NSW.

The search for Englishman Hugo Palmer andFrenchman Erwan Ferrieux, both 20, began after their unattended belongings were spotted at Shelly Beach around 6:30am on Monday.

A water and ground search involving Marine Rescue, SES, and NSW Police Force Marine Area Command is yet to locate either of the men.

[...]
 
Police Insp Michael Aldridge said that recent surf conditions had been rough.

"From the information that we have received, they were travelling down the east coast, stopping at various locations along the way," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Shelly Beach is a popular surfing and walking site in Port Macquarie, located about 380km (250 miles) north of Sydney.

UK and French tourists missing in Australia


With all their belongings left inside the car and on the beach I can only think that something happened suddenly and unexpectedly. If they'd left the area on foot for a bit of exploring they surely would have put the items found on the beach back in the car first.

Are they surfers?
 
Police Insp Michael Aldridge said that recent surf conditions had been rough.

"From the information that we have received, they were travelling down the east coast, stopping at various locations along the way," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Shelly Beach is a popular surfing and walking site in Port Macquarie, located about 380km (250 miles) north of Sydney.

UK and French tourists missing in Australia


With all their belongings left inside the car and on the beach I can only think that something happened suddenly and unexpectedly. If they'd left the area on foot for a bit of exploring they surely would have put the items found on the beach back in the car first.

Are they surfers?
I saw a photo of them posed with surfboards so they could very well be.
 

This is a handy video on how to identify a rip.
A rip looks the smoothest calmest part in the waves and there’s the danger to swimmers but surfers use rips to get out quicker and easier beyond the breakers.

Too many tourists are dying in our waters recently because they simply can’t swim.

A seasoned swimmer went missing recently.
I’ve never trusted the surf.
 
I read a review in Shelley beach from a local which said “pretty beach for the family but dangerous for boards due to the rocks.”

Also looking down on the beach with Google maps shows several rips and a lot of rocks.
 
This guy Raz was a guru in the surf. As I said it’s Russian Roulette and I’ve NEVER put my trust in the surf.
Missing Surf Life Saving veteran a 'strong swimmer'
Feb 17, 2019

Raz Butronwood, 69, has not been seen since entering the water at Ballina's Lighthouse Beach yesterday on his daily morning swim.

"He is one of those kind of guys that can sort of predict any rip, the size of the wave and how he moves himself through the water," Ballina Surf Club's Benjamin Coulter said.

Crews spent the day searching for the 69-year-old yesterday, who has been described as a local legend and strong swimmer.

"Just after 10.15 emergency services were called to Lighthouse Beach at Ballina after reports of a missing swimmer," NSW Police told 9news.com.au.
Missing Surf Life Saving veteran a 'strong swimmer'
 
Hopes fade as search for missing tourists enters third day

[...]

Chief Inspector Mick Aldridge from NSW Police said it was likely the pair ventured into the water.

[...]

His parents have since been told that their son is missing, however police are still trying to contact Mr Ferrieux's family.

Police are now urging anyone who might have seen the men or their Commodore near the Shelley Beach car park or in the surrounding streets to contact them.

upload_2019-2-19_21-2-56.jpegupload_2019-2-19_21-3-8.jpegupload_2019-2-19_21-3-21.jpeg
 
Search scaled back for missing tourists

[...]

Thursday's search is likely to be limited to a few routine sweeps of the coast and foreshore.

Authorities now have little hope of finding the men alive.

On Wednesday, Police Inspector Peter Neville said a family member of one of the men had arrived in Australia and was being "realistic" about the chances of finding the pair alive.

Two female friends of Mr Palmer and Mr Ferrieux had planned to travel from Sydney to meet the two men.

Instead, they arrived in Port Macquarie on Wednesday to watch as the search continued.

Mr Palmer, an Englishman, and Mr Ferrieux, a Frenchman, have been close friends for years, according to their Facebook pages.

[...]
 
In the paper today it said that the police have been speaking to people and they have a reason to believe they may be alive. I really hope so.

Can you link the paper/article where you saw that?
 
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