- A woman and her two children are believed to have drowned on Monday
- Their vehicle went into the flooded Tweed River in Tumbulgum at 1.40pm
- A young girl escaped from the car and raised the alarm at a nearby house
- Witnesses said the girl's father dove into the river but couldn't find the car
- Police found the car using sonar equipment, but a search operation to recover the bodies is suspended until Tuesday morning
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The desperate efforts of a father who dove into a flood-swollen river in a bid to rescue his wife and children after their car was dragged in failed.
His attempt came after his hysterical daughter ran screaming to raise the alarm after she escaped the sinking car, but her mother and siblings remained trapped inside.
The woman and brother and sister, aged about six and 12, are feared dead after their vehicle went into the Tweed River at Tumbulgum in northern New South Wales on Monday afternoon, about 1.40pm.
The 10-year-old girl managed to escape the vehicle as it was dragged into the water and residents at a house nearby came to her aid.
Witnesses revealed the girl's father dove into the freezing river along with several others in a bid to save his family, but they were unable to find the car in the murky water.
'The husband came down, and dad and two other boys just jumped into the water and couldn't dive deep enough,' witness Sophie Grinham told Seven.
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Three people are feared dead after a car was swept into a flood-swollen river in northern New South Wales. Pictured, emergency services at the scene
The search to recover their bodies from was suspended at around 6.30pm on Monday
Police divers are travelling up from Sydney to join the operation when it resumes on Tuesday
Another witness, Thomas Grinham, also saw the young girl reporting her family members were swept by floodwaters.
'She was screaming (that) her mum, little sister and older brother had gone into the river in the car,' he told the Seven Network on Monday.
And a retired highway patrol officer revealed he tried to save the occupants of the sinking car, but couldn't reach it.
Matt Grinham dived into the freezing river with three other men immediately after seeing the crash while cleaning up flood damage at a family member's house.
They followed the bubbles in the water as the submerged car continued downstream – but were unable to reach it.
'We were going down feet first trying to work out where the car was,' he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
The vehicle went into the Tweed River off Dulguigan Road in Tumbulgum at 1.40pm
'Then we tried diving a couple of times but the water was so brown and cold, the flood run off is freezing down there.
'The car was completely submerged when we got there.'
Police located the vehicle, but have yet to recover the missing woman and children's bodies.
The search was suspended on Monday evening, but will resume on Tuesday morning with police divers joining the operation.
The girl reportedly told police that her mother, younger sister and older brother were in the car.
New South Wales police located the submerged vehicle using sonar equipment at 3.25pm
The vehicle was found underwater five metres from the northern riverbank
A girl escaped from the trapped vehicle and ran to a nearby house to raise the alarm. Pictured, emergency services at the scene
Peter Taylor, another witness, told 9News: 'A little girl's run down the road and she's said her family's gone into the river.
'Her feet were bleeding apparently. Then they called the ambulance and called the police.'
The child was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital for bruises and cuts and was being cared for by family members.
She is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition, however a NSW Ambulance spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that she 'will have been submerged for some time.'
The search to recover the bodies of the car's occupants was suspended at around 6.30pm on Monday, around three hours after the submerged vehicle was located using sonar equipment.
New South Wales Police told Daily Mail Australia that sonar was being used to search for the lost vehicle. Pictured, police at the scene
Both a helicopter and boats using sona r searched for the vehicle, which was found underwater at 3.25pm
The child has been taken to Tweeds Head Hospital while the emergency services (pictured at the scene) continue to search for the missing car
Police divers are travelling up from Sydney to join the operation when it resumes on Tuesday morning, NSW Police said.
A crime scene guard will remain at the scene overnight.
Road closures are in place for two kilometres south from the intersection of Dulguigan and MacCauley's roads.
New South Wales police found the vehicle underwater around five metres from the northern riverbank at 3.25pm – less than two hours after it went missing.
Tumbulgum, which lies just south of the Queensland border, was badly hit by floods following Cyclon e Debbie, with record rainfall.
It is not clear if the road was flooded at the time of the incident, however the river is strewn with debris following the floods.
The girl, whose age has not been confirmed, is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition. Pictured, police at the scene
The vehicle is believed to have left Dulguigan Road and ended up in the Tweed River in Tumbulgum, New South Wales, at about 1.40pm
Police say the local community will no doubt be affected by the news.
'We're concerned it is a tragic event that will unfold over the evening and we understand that it is going to have a major impact on the family and the Tweed community,' NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy told the ABC.
It's the latest tragedy in what's been a devastating few days for flood-hit northern NSW residents, with two women aged 36 and 64 confirmed dead and a man dying of a heart attack.
A massive clean-up operation is under way as communities pick up the pieces of ruined homes and businesses.
Lismore, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads residents have been given the all-clear to return home after floodwaters washed through the region over the past three days.
