4 Indians die in tragic drowning at Australia's Philip Island; worst tragedy in Victorian waters in 20 years
Four Indians, including two women, have been killed in a drowning incident at an unpatrolled beach in the Australian state of Victoria, the worst tragedy in Victorian waters in almost 20 years, officials said on Thursday.
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FollowIn a devastating incident that unfolded on Wednesday, an unpatrolled beach in the Australian state of Victoria became the site of a tragic drowning, claiming the lives of four Indians, including two women. The incident occurred at Phillip Island, near Newhaven, and has been labeled as the worst drowning tragedy in Victorian waters in almost two decades.
Emergency services swiftly reacted to reports of four individuals in distress in the waters near Newhaven around 3:30 pm on Wednesday. According to news.com, upon arrival, all four individuals were discovered unresponsive.
“Life Saving Victoria was called to assist four people in trouble in the waters off Forrest Caves on Phillip Island, only a couple of kilometres from our patrolled lifeguard site,” Kane Treloar, the Life Saving Victoria state agency commander, said.
“Upon arriving at the scene, our lifeguards found that off-duty lifeguards had pulled three of those people from the water and one of our rescue boats pulled that last person from the water.”
All four individuals were in an unconscious and unresponsive state, prompting rescuers to immediately initiate CPR. As of now, the authorities have not disclosed the names of the victims.
The Indian High Commission in Canberra on Thursday posted on X, the tragic drowning. "Heartbreaking tragedy in Australia: 4 Indians lost their lives in a drowning incident at Phillip Island, Victoria. Deepest condolences to the families of the victims. @cgimelbourne team is in touch with friends of the deceased for all necessary assistance @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar," the High Commission posted.
On Thursday, Treloar stated that this incident marked the most severe drowning episode the state had witnessed in decades. Victoria Police Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner Karen Nyholm disclosed that the victims included a man and two women in their 20s, along with a woman in her 40s.
“It was an extended family group that came down here,” she said.
Nyholm conveyed that the 43-year-old woman who tragically lost her life was on vacation in Australia, while the police have verified that the remaining three victims were residents of the Melbourne suburb of Clyde.
At the incident site, three individuals – a man and two women – succumbed to the tragedy, while the third woman in her 20s was promptly transported to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she later passed away.
“This tragedy has taken the lives of four people and it’s fair to say the impact will be profound on those families,” Nyholm said.
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