A search for a young woman missing in waters off northwest Tasmania has been suspended.
The 22-year-old, her 26-year-old sister and nine-year-old brother were caught in a rip at Somerset Beach near Burnie shortly after 2pm on Saturday.
The woman's siblings were able to escape the current.
Volunteer boats, surf lifesavers, police divers and a rescue helicopter scoured an area of more than 680km sq but were unable to find the woman, who was from the local area.
Tasmania Police said late on Sunday afternoon they had decided to suspend the search, with expert opinion indicating the swimmer could not have survived.
“Significant and intense search efforts by all involved in the search over the previous two days in the search zone have sadly, failed to locate the missing person," Inspector Adrian Shadbolt said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.”
