SYDNEY, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australian authorities have recovered two bodies in the search for a father and son who went missing after their car crashed into a river northwest of Sydney on Wednesday night.
Emergency services were called to reports that a car had entered the Macdonald River near the small town of St Albans, 70 km northwest of Sydney, at around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police officers arrived and found that one occupant, a 24-year-old male, had escaped the vehicle and reached the riverbank, but that his father and brother, aged in their 50s and 20s respectively, were unaccounted for, triggering an emergency search of the area.
The police force in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Thursday afternoon that divers had located a vehicle in nearby waters at around 11:20 a.m. and that a further search located two bodies, which have not yet been formally identified.
NSW Police Inspector Claudette Gebrael told reporters that initial inquiries suggested that the car had hit a tree before crashing into the river.
The 24-year-old man was assessed by ambulance paramedics at the scene on Wednesday night but did not require further treatment.
The incident occurred amid widespread severe rainfall across NSW that has prompted flood warnings.
Debbie Platz, deputy commissioner of the State Emergency Service, said at a press conference on Thursday morning that authorities had conducted five flood rescue operations since Wednesday night. ■
