Australian police have launched a search for two missing young backpackers after their belongings were found at a beach in New South Wales.
Hugo Palmer, from East Sussex, and his French friend Erwan Ferrieux, both 20, are believed to have been swimming or surfing at Shelly Beach, north of Sydney, on Sunday.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Local authorities confirmed that a water and ground search is under way.
Inspector Michael Aldridge said: “From the information that we have received, they were travelling down the east coast, stopping at various locations along the way.
“We believe from information provided so far that the items may have been there since Sunday evening as well.”
Aldridge added that the surf conditions had been “terrible” in recent days.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “Our staff are in contact with police in Australia and the UK following reports of a missing British man at Shelly beach, New South Wales.”
Palmer is described as having fair hair, an athletic build and is 180cm (5ft 11in) tall, while Ferrieux has dark hair, brown eyes, a tanned complexion and is between 175cm (5ft 9in) and 180cm tall, says Australian site News.com.au.
Police are appealing to the public to come forward with any information that might help locate the two missing men.
-
Why quitting your job is so difficult in JapanUnder the Radar Reluctance to change job and rise of ‘proxy quitters’ is a reaction to Japan’s ‘rigid’ labour market – but there are signs of change
-
Gavin Newsom and Dr. Oz feud over fraud allegationsIn the Spotlight Newsom called Oz’s behavior ‘baseless and racist’
-
‘Admin night’: the TikTok trend turning paperwork into a partyThe Explainer Grab your friends and make a night of tackling the most boring tasks
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
