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A Georges River search and rescue mission has ended in tragedy after the bodies of a mother and her two young children were pulled from the waterway in Sydney's south-west.
Bystanders attempted to save the family after the three were seen in distress at 10.15am today before emergency services arrived.
The 32-year-old woman was pulled to the shore shortly after but she could not be saved.
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Police and volunteers from the State Emergency Service launched a large search and rescue operation for the woman's seven-year-old son and five-year-old daughter.
Divers found their bodies in the water at about 2pm metres from a jetty.
"It's beyond words how tragic it would be for people who observed what happened," NSW Police acting superintendent Luke Scott said.
"A number of bystanders that were there at the park made their own attempts to rescue the children and the mother.
"Unfortunately they weren't successful in that.
"There is a number of lines of enquiry that we need to explore to determine what happened."
Police said the family were local to the area.
A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner.
