Irish man found dead at famous Whitehaven beach among four deaths on Australia’s east coast

A woman has also died after being swept into the ocean in Sydney on New Year's Day, while the body of a man was found near Palm Beach on New Year's Eve

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An Irish man has died at Whitehaven beach near the Great Barrier Reef, with three other people found dead and grave fears for two more after separate incidents in waters off Sydney during a horror New Year period.

Queensland police said that emergency services received reports that a 35-year-old Irish man had been found dead in the water at the popular beach in the state's north at about 11am on Wednesday.