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EASTER TRAGEDY
It has been the worst Easter on record for drownings in New South Wales
- Patrick Harrington
A NINE-year-old boy drowned in front of his horrified parents after getting trapped between two rocks at a busy beach.
Witnesses recalled the harrowing moment the young lad's parents held his hand as he died at a popular beach in New South Wales, Australia.
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Kaison Greaves was playing with other kids on the shoreline at South West Rocks when he slipped on Sunday afternoon.
He then became trapped between rocks with the tide coming in, forcing beach-goers to call the emergency services.
Police, along with the NSW Fire Department and Surf Lifesavers NSW, worked urgently to free him in time - but tragically were unable to.
Rescue workers did eventually pull Kaison out but he died at the scene.
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Shaken witnesses described how Kaison's parents watched on and spoke to their son as the tide came in.
A local rugby league player, Hakeem Torrens, rushed to help the little boy, who he said had slipped while jumping off rocks.
Hakeem told The Daily Telegraph: "I did absolutely everything in my power to save him. I fought with every part of me wishing so desperately for a different outcome."
He added that Kaison "wasn't alone" and was "cared for and held" the whole time until he died.
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Kristen Smart, also on the beach, was having a picnic with her children when the tragedy unfolded.
Kristen ran over to the scene and reported that Kaison's dad held his hand and comforted him the entire time.
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She said that emergency crews couldn't free the boy because his chest was pinned hard between two slabs of stone.
And another mum said her kids were playing with the Kaison just before he fell.
She said: "He was having a blast with my daughter [...] they were jumping off the smaller rocks with him before it happened."
Kaison’s father David said the family was heartbroken by the loss.
David said: "He was an adventurer, strong-willed and incredibly funny, and always had a cheeky grin."
Inspector Peter Walton, from the Mid North Coast Police District, said police had launched an investigation in the devastating death.
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He said: "Indications are it is nothing but a tragic misadventure which has resulted in the loss of a young child and unimaginable grief for the family.
"I can only imagine what the family was going through watching it all unfold [...] it was a very difficult situation for all that were there.
"Indications are that he was just playing on the rocks, and probably a number of kids play on those rocks every day."
The inspector said the exact cause of death was yet to be determined, but that with Kaison "being wedged there and with the waves coming in, water may be a factor".
It has been the worst Easter on record for drownings in New South Wales.
Two men aged 24 and 41 have been missing since Friday, a 58-year-old fisherman drowned on Friday morning, and another man drowned at Mosman on Sydney's north shore on Friday morning.
Another man could not be revived after being found floating face down in Sydney's Royal national park on Sunday, and the body of another fisherman was found after he was swept off rocks on Friday afternoon.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce described the weekend as "absolutely horrific".
He said: "For such a religious weekend, this has been absolutely horrific from a coastal drowning perspective.
"It would be the worst Easter drowning toll that we have seen in New South Wales on our records.
"Just the culmination of hot temperatures, a long weekend, hundreds of thousands of people going to the coastline and an enormous swell that has impacted the coastline up and down."
A friend of the family has set up a fundraiser to remember Kaison, described as “an extremely bright boy”, which had raised nearly $20,000AUD as of Monday afternoon.
The accompanying statement reads: “The Greaves family lost their beautiful boy Kai yesterday at South West Rocks in NSW while on holidays with his family.
“He was an extremely bright boy who had a wonderful life with his devoted parents Brook and Dave.
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“I am a close friend of the family trying to help in any way possible, the absolutely heartbreaking loss of a child is unimaginable.
“If we as a community / friends and family can do anything it’s to support the family while they grieve their son and bring their boy home to Queensland from NSW.”
