Sydney, December 18: At least two Indian nationals died and one went missing in an attempt to rescue three drowning children at the scenic Moonee Beach, located in Australia's New South Wales province. Bodies of two among the deceased - identified as 45-year-old Ghousuddin and 35-year-old Rahat have been retrieved.

A search operation is underway to find Junaid (28), the son-in-law of Ghousuddin who could not be traced yet. While Ghousuddin and Junaid belonged to Nalgonda, Rahat was from BHEL Colony on the outskirts of Hyderabad. 3 Tourists Drown in Arabian Sea at Calangute Beach in Goa.

The deceased, along with their families, were staying in Sydney and Brisbane for the past few years. They had convened in Coffs Harbour to celebrate Christmas holidays together. On Monday, they decided to visit the scenic Moonee beach, located 23-km from Coffs Harbour.

At around 6pm yesterday, three children of their family - a boy and girl of 15-year-old age each, and a 17-year-old girl, were struggling to return to the shore. The minors were successfully rescued by the locals.

Syed Siraj Patel of the Indian Muslim Association of Australia (IMAA) is in touch with the bereaved family. The organisation has appealed the authorities to take all steps to retrieve the body of Junaid.

According to an eye-witness, who witnessed the drowning incident, said the sea turned rough on Monday evening which led to the demise of Ghousuddin and Rahat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2018 04:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).