Police say the trio went to Shearer Park alone on Saturday morning, and bystanders called emergency services about two children and a woman “in distress” in the water shortly after 10am.
Hoai was pulled from the water by onlookers but couldn’t be revived. The children’s bodies were found by police divers in the water near the pier around 2pm after a massive land, air, and water search.
Tributes have been left at the site where the trio perished following a Buddhist ceremony on Sunday. Credit: Nick Moir
Family friends have rallied around Dinh, accompanying him to the pier where tributes have been laid. There are bouquets of flowers, teddy bears, a mermaid toy kit, lollies and a can of Coke. A Buddhist ceremony was held at the site on Sunday, where monks led prayers and incense was burned.
Ella Tran, who has been friends with the Nguyens since the families arrived in Australia from Vietnam 15 years ago, and has two children of similar ages, said Hazel and Mitchell were happy kids who loved the park.
A massive search operation was launched to retrieve the bodies of Hazel and Mitchell from the river.Credit: Nine News
“They loved this river, they loved playing near the water,” she said, adding the children didn’t know how to swim. A week before the tragedy, the family attended a birthday party at the same park where the horrors took place.
Hazel loved princesses while Mitchell loved Spider-Man. His favourite subject at a Villawood school was maths. “Hazel was always smiling,” Tran said.
The couple’s third child, one-year-old Macario, has been living with his grandparents in Vietnam, with Dinh communicating regularly via FaceTime.
A GoFundMe to support Dinh and Macario had raised over $46,000 as of noon on Monday, with contributions also going towards bringing the bodies of Mitchell and Hazel back to Vietnam for burial.
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Acting Superintendent Luke Scott on Saturday said bystanders acted immediately upon noticing the trio in the water, commandeering boats to help search for the children and allowing first responding officers to use their jet skis.
“These are completely tragic circumstances that anybody can feel for, not just the family, and anybody who observed what happened,” he said. “It’s beyond words. Absolutely tragic.”
State Emergency Service chief inspector Christian Young said a significant number of emergency service members were involved in the search.
“The water was flowing, and the tide was turning soon after,” he said. “It had to be a group effort because it was such a large space that we were searching at the time.”
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue.
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