Mother fears the worst after daughter, 10, is sucked into drain in rock pool and dumped in the ocean
A mother was left fearing the worst after her 10-year-old daughter was sucked into a drain while she swam in a rock pool then spat out into the ocean.
Esther Lammertink had taken her two young children to Dee Why beach in Sydney when daughter Myrthe asked if they could go for a quick dip in the rock pool.
Ms Lammertink told Yahoo7 News she was watching the children closely but looked away for a second, only to find her 12-year-old son in a state of panic after her daughter had disappeared, fearing she had drowned.
Myrthe had been sucked underwater into a drain and dragged through a rocky passageway before she was dumped into the ocean.
“She felt her feet getting sucked, she just shut her eyes and hoped for the best,” Ms Lammertink said.
“She was dragged completely through the hole and dumped.”
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Myrthe was taken to hospital her cuts were treated and she was given antibiotics for any possible infections.
Ms Lammertink said the council shouldn’t have such an open passageway at the bottom of the busy rock pool.
Northern Beaches Council told Yahoo7 News that the drain was in place to make sure the pool water stays fresh, and Myrthe’s incident on February 18 was the first of its kind.
It said it has taken steps to close the opening while a grate is made to reduce the risk of something similar happening.