Two bodies found in search for missing father, son after car crashes into river during torrential rain

Police have located the bodies of what is feared to be a father and son who have been missing since their car crashed into a NSW river overnight. The vehicle was found in the Macdonald River near Settlers Rd at St Albans – about 20km north of Wisemans Ferry – just before midnight on Wednesday. The car contained three passengers, which police understood to be a father in his 50s and two sons in their 20s. One of the sons managed to escape from the vehicle and swim to the riverbank. He was assessed by paramedics at the scene but did not require further treatment. A multi-agency search – involving SES crews, NSW Police, and the NSW Rural Fire Service – was launched after the alarm was raised on Thursday morning. Specialist divers had also joined the operation, a NSW Police spokeswoman said. Police divers located a vehicle in waters nearby about 11.20am on Thursday, with a further search leading to two bodies in the water. They are yet to be formally identified. Police believe the car struck a tree before it swerved into the water. NSW SES has confirmed that while the Macdonald River was not flooding at the time of the crash, it is being treated as a flood rescue due to the heavy rainfall impacting the region. Wisemans Ferry has received more than 50mm of rain in the past two days, with another day of significant falls to come. Three other flood rescues have been performed in the past 24 hours, according to NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz. “(NSW SES) has attended nearly 430 incidents (in the past 24 hours), which is quite amazing, and our Operations Centre here in Wollongong has received almost 700 calls for assistance,” Ms Platz told the ABC. “We really urge people to check what route you’re going to be travelling on, if you do see flooded water, please turn around and find another route, because it’s extremely dangerous.” Anyone with information about the search is asked to contact Hawkesbury Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.