A woman missing since Monday evening has been found alive in the Tweed River, ending a search that stretched through the night and drew in police, water rescue crews and aircraft from two states.
Emergency services were called to Dreamtime Beach, Fingal Head, about 6.45pm on Monday, 3 August, after reports a swimmer had gone missing. Officers from Tweed/Byron Police District attended and were told a 30-year-old woman had entered the water and not returned.
A search of the water and beach began with the assistance of Marine Area Command, Queensland PolAir and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, however the woman was not located. The search was suspended at 11pm and recommenced the following morning, Tuesday, 4 August.
About 6.55am, the woman was located near a floating marker in the Tweed River. Water Police, assisted by police negotiators, were able to bring her safely aboard a police vessel.
She was taken to Fingal Wharf, where she was assessed by NSW Ambulance paramedics, before being taken to Tweed Valley Hospital for further assessment.
Police say it remains unclear whether the woman was in the water for the entire duration of her disappearance, a gap of almost 12 hours between the initial report and her rescue.
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