Emergency call released of boy who swam for hours to save family

BBC News - WorldFiled 2026-02-11 · 11:54 GMTLean · CenterRead · 1 min

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1_min

Word count

134_words

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Briefing Summary

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NEWSAR · AI

In February, a 13-year-old Australian boy, Austin Appelbee, swam for hours to seek help after his mother and two siblings were swept out to sea. Emergency services released audio of Austin's call, where he expressed fear for his family's condition and described his extreme exhaustion. He reported his brother, sister, and mother were still in the water. After making the call, Austin lost consciousness and was hospitalized. He later learned that his family had been rescued alive and well approximately 14km offshore. Austin's actions were crucial in ensuring their survival.

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Article analysis

Model · rule-based

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Human Interest

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AI-assessed

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0.90 / 1.00

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Sources cited

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Key claims

4 extracted

His siblings and mother were found alive and well after being rescued 14km (8.5 miles) offshore.

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Austin passed out after making the call and was taken to the hospital.

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Austin Appelbee says his siblings and their mother were still in the water.

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Police have released audio of a call between emergency services and a 13-year-old Australian boy.

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Full report

1 min read · 134 words

Police have released audio of a call between emergency services and a 13-year-old Australian boy who swam for hours to get help for his family after they were swept out to sea earlier in February.In the call, Austin Appelbee says his siblings - brother Beau, 12, and sister Grace, eight - and their mother were still in the water."I don't know what their condition is right now and I'm really scared," he says.The boy also describes feeling "extremely tired" after the grueling ordeal.Austin passed out after making the call and was taken to the hospital, where he was told his siblings and mother were found alive and well after being rescued 14km (8.5 miles) offshore.More on this story: 'I don't think I am a hero' - Boy, 13, describes 'superhuman' swim to save family

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