How a deadly confluence of factors led to a 'terrible and traumatic' Easter weekend on Australian beaches

Authorities blame heavy seas and unseasonably warm weather for deaths across NSW and VictoriaGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcast"Terrible and traumatic," is how the Surf Life Saving New South Wales chief, Steven Pearce, summed up what has been declared the deadliest Easter long weekend on record, well before it was even over.Seven people across NSW and Victoria were confirmed to have drowned by the morning of Easter Monday, and while the fatal heavy seas had returned to largely normal levels, crews were still searching for two people missing since Good Friday. Continue reading...