Eyewitnesses have given accounts of the tragedy on Victoria’s Phillip Island, which has left three people dead.
Eyewitnesses have given harrowing accounts of the drowning tragedy on Victoria’s Phillip Island, where three people are dead and another person has been flown to hospital in a critical condition.
Emergency services, including rescue helicopters, rushed to Newhaven at about 3.30pm on Wednesday after reports that four people – three women and a man – were unresponsive after being pulled from the water.
The victims are a man in his 40s and two women in their 20s.
“A third woman, also believed to be in her 20s, has been taken to hospital and is fighting for her life,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
An eyewitness told 7News it was a “horrible” situation.
“The family was really upset,” the witness, Alex Tzatzimakis, said. “There seemed to be a group of 10 people who came here for a really nice day. Obviously it turned to tragedy.”
At least 13 emergency responders are at the scene. Picture: 9 News
It’s the latest drowning to rock Australia this summer. Picture: 7 NEWS
It is the worst drowning tragedy in Victoria in five years. Picture: 7 NEWS
Family members are comforted after three people drown at Phillip Island. Picture: Jack Colantuono/ Herald Sun
She said people were crying and comforting each other as beachgoers, who had brought the four people back to shore, performed CPR.
One man could be heard wailing, according to the Herald Sun, “I told them not to go – I should have been there.”
The incident is understood to have occurred at Forrest Caves, a popular tourist destination on Phillip Island known for its sea caves.
The beach is an exposed beach on the island’s south coast which is prone to rips. It sits just west of Cape Woolamai and is not patrolled by lifesavers.
It is understood not even the locals swim at the beach because of the danger.
The caves, formed by water erosion, can only be accessed during low tide.
“If the surf is up, the caves can quickly flood. Do not enter the caves and beware of playing in the rock pools,” one walking guide warned about the area.
“The surf along here is rough, and there are no lifeguards – so best to keep away from the water.”
Locals have reacted with horror to the drowning.
“It’s treacherous out there,” one wrote on Facebook. “Definitely not a swimming beach. Only if you are a strong swimmer and understand rips.”
“So, so sad,” a second wrote. “Great surfing beach but not a swimming beach.”
A third said he was at nearby Cape Woolamai the night before and watched a “young child walk straight into a rip with his mother watching on”.
“He started just outside the flags and headed diagonally on it. I kept thinking about it last night and hoped I didn’t have to hear about it on the news.
“If the island is going to be pushed so hard as a tourist destination there will be more and more incidents.”
A man drowned at Surf Beach, just 2km north-west of Forrest Caves, on January 13.
Another man aged in his 20s died at Kilcunda Surf Beach, also on the Bass Coast, on January 12.
Today’s tragedy is the worst drowning in Victoria in five years. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
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