Dramatic moment teens are rescued after being swept away while swimming

Dramatic footage has captured the moment four teenagers were winched to safety nearly 24 hours after they were swept away by rapidly-flowing waters.

The teens were swimming about 11am Sunday, at Baroon Pocket Dam, near Kondalilla Falls on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, when they were washed away.

RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Air Crew Officer, Rick Harvey, said in a statement the boys ended up hundreds of metres downstream, in a spot where they were unable to walk out.

"The area around the boys was too steep, so they decided to stay put and bunker down for the night," he said.

Family members went looking for the group Sunday night then found their shoes near the Baroon Pocket Dam wall early the following morning.

"Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers called in the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter to help look from above, after they found the shoes," Mr Harvey said.

"Within five minutes of searching we found all four boys, about 600 metres downstream, waving furiously at the chopper."

RACQ LifeFlight Rescue's Flight Paramedic was lowered down to assess the group, before one boy was winched back up to the chopper and flown to waiting emergency services and family members at Narrows Road.

It was then decided the remaining teenagers could be winched more safely, from a nearby area with less tree cover.

The RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter winched two more to safety and returned for the fourth boy a short time later.

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"Thankfully, all the boys were okay," Mr Harvey said.

"They had a very cold night but huddled together to keep warm and were lucky enough to come out uninjured, just very hungry!"

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