British man and French companion missing from popular beach in Australia
Written by News on 19/02/2019
A British man has gone missing from a popular beach north of Sydney in Australia.
Police have begun searching for 20-year-old Hugo Palmer and his friend, Frenchman Erwan Ferrieux, also 20, after their belongings were found by early morning walkers at around 6.30am local time on Monday at Shelley Beach, New South Wales.
Police later discovered their rental car in the beach’s car park with a number of personal items, including travel documents, inside.
It is not known how long they had been in Australia.
New South Wales Police said a water and ground search was underway, but that there had not yet been any sign of the pair.
Inspector Michael Aldridge told the Port Macquarie News that the two men had arrived in the area on Sunday morning.
“We believe from information provided so far that the items may have been there since Sunday evening as well,” he said.
He described the surf conditions as “terrible” over the past few days.
Hugo is described as being of Caucasian appearance, with fair hair, 180cm (5’11) tall and of athletic build.
Erwan has dark hair, brown eyes, a tanned complexion and is between 175-180cm tall.
A spokeswoman for the 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.”
(c) Sky News 2019: British man and French companion missing from popular beach in Australia
