Fears for man and child after boat capsizes

Police are searching for a five-year-old child and an elderly man after a boat capsized off Bulli Beach, north of Wollongong, on Saturday night.

Witnesses told police they heard screaming coming from the north end of the headland at about 6:30pm.

"They heard the screaming for quite some time and then it went quiet," a police spokesman told The Daily Telegraph.

Search crews, including a police helicopter and several rescue boats, then found an upturned vessel.

Two people, reportedly aged in their 30s, were rescued and flown to hospital for treatment. But a five-year-old child and an elderly man spotted on the boat are still unaccounted for.

The man is believed to be deceased.

Photos posted on social media showed several emergency service vehicles on the scene, with police being assisted by water police and surf lifesavers.

Police said the search would continue into the night and resume in the morning if necessary.

Originally published as Fears for man, child after boat capsizes