two men die in notorious Port Kembla fishing spot

Police said the two men who died, who are originally from south Asia, have not yet been formally identified, but they are believed to be aged 38 and 31. All three were from the Lakemba and Wiley Park area and had travelled down on Friday afternoon.

Loading

In a tribute on social media, a friend said he was in disbelief, writing in Bengali: “May Allah grant Paradise to both of them”.

Another friend wrote in Bengali that he had just performed Friday prayers with one of the men at Lakemba Mosque. He described both of them as his good friends.

In their Facebook profiles, both men posted photographs of rock fishing, including the hauls of the fish they caught, smiling while standing next to the water, and moonlight shining on the water while fishing at night. One of the men also posted photos of himself hugging three grinning children.

Superintendent Dean Smith, the commander of Lake Illawarra police district, said two police who responded to the scene were injured when they were hit by a wave, with one injuring his leg and wrist and the other his hip.

Loading

“We’re very lucky that they are safe and well,” he said.

He said there are safety devices and signage in the popular rock fishing area, but it’s “important that we acknowledge that rock fishing is at times, and can be, dangerous” and requires appropriate safety equipment.

“We want people to be aware of the danger, we want them to be aware of the environment they’re going into. Unfortunately, at times, people who are undertaking this activity are not either strong swimmers or they have no safety equipment with them,” he said.

“We would strongly urge everybody to have the devices they need to keep themselves safe, to make sure they’re not doing the activity alone, and they let people know exactly where they’re going and what time they will be returning home.”

Steve Pearce, the CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, described the incident as “a terrible double tragedy, again, at Hill 60”.

He said the location is not more dangerous than any other rock fishing destination, it’s just popular, well-known and easily-accessible.

“If you are going to attend a rock platform or go rock fishing, it’s so vitally important that you wear life jackets. A life jacket will, in most instances, save your life if you enter the water,” Mr Pearce said.