Sydney Boat Tragedy
Police Search Intensifies for Missing Girl After Man Found Dead in Sydney Boat Crash
Key Points
Emergency services were called to Bayview Park on Burwood Road in Concord at about 11:45am on Saturday, after reports of a man’s body in the water.
NSW Police said they had “established a command post at the scene and commenced a search operation to locate the girl,” and that “further specialist resources have been requested to assist in the search.”
7NEWS reported police inspecting a small boat with a sun cover that was docked at a nearby jetty.
Witnesses told Nine.com.au there were at least two police boats and a helicopter circling Hen and Chicken Bay on the Parramatta River near Abbotsford during the search.
A man is dead and a young girl is missing after an incident on Sydney's Parramatta River on Saturday morning, sparking an urgent multi-agency search. Emergency services were called to Bayview Park on Burwood Road in Concord at about 11:45am after a man's body was found in the water near Hen and Chicken Bay, NSW Police confirmed. A small boat was found nearby with no one on board.
Witnesses told Nine.com.au they had seen the man in the small boat with a child — believed to be his daughter, aged about six or seven — shortly before he was found dead. The girl has not been located. NSW Police said they have "established a command post at the scene and commenced a search operation to locate the girl" and that "further specialist resources have been requested to assist in the search."
A Member of the Public Pulled the Man From the Water
The man was pulled from the Parramatta River by a member of the public on a nearby boat, according to Katherine Times. Despite their efforts, he could not be revived. Police have not formally identified the man. His relationship to the missing girl has not been confirmed officially, but Head Topics reported he is believed to be her father.
7NEWS reported that police later inspected a small boat with a sun cover that was docked at a nearby jetty. Officers secured the vessel for forensic examination. The boat is believed to be the one the man and child were seen aboard earlier that morning.
Police Boats and Helicopter Circle Hen and Chicken Bay
Witnesses told Nine.com.au they saw at least two police boats and a helicopter circling Hen and Chicken Bay during the search. The PolAir helicopter used thermal imaging to scan the riverbanks and mangrove shorelines. The Marine Area Command conducted a fine-grid search of the bay floor and surrounding water.
The search focused on the stretch of the Parramatta River near Abbotsford and Concord. Later in the afternoon, police divers and SES volunteers were also called in as the operation expanded. If the girl is not found by nightfall, authorities are expected to shift to a recovery operation using sonar and thermal drones.
Mangroves and Ferry Wake Make the Search Harder
Hen and Chicken Bay presents real challenges for searchers. Its mangrove shorelines are dense and hard to move through. The bay also sits between two marinas. The Parramatta River RiverCat ferry service runs roughly 1.78 million journeys a year, creating heavy boat wake in the area, according to Inner West Council data.
Maritime experts have noted that small boats with sun covers can be destabilised by sudden wind gusts or the wake from large ferries passing through narrow channels. Under NSW law, children under 12 must wear a lifejacket at all times on vessels less than 4.8 metres. Investigators are expected to examine whether safety equipment was on board the boat.
Police Urge Witnesses to Come Forward With Information
NSW Police said the man's identity has not yet been formally confirmed. Extended family are being notified. The Burwood Police Area Command is leading the response on the ground, including door-knocks and a public witness appeal. Police are asking anyone with information to contact Burwood Police or Crime Stoppers.
Local residents at Bayview Park described the scene as shocking. The area was busy with families on Saturday morning. Witnesses said seeing the man and child on the boat earlier had looked like a routine weekend outing, according to Nine.com.au. The incident follows a recent string of boating tragedies in NSW, including a fatal capsize at Ballina Bar in May 2026.
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