Body found in search for man in Coast canal
A VICTORIAN tourist has drowned after an early morning swim in a Gold Coast canal.
The man, in his early 20s, went swimming with a group of friends about 5.30am on Tuesday in a canal near a private residence at Broadbeach Waters.
He dived under the water but did not resurface.
Police arrived within minutes and an officer dived into the water in a desperate bid to find him, but the murky conditions hampered the search.
Police divers eventually located the man’s body about nine metres from shore, nearby to where he was seen entering the water.
Multiple police crews, Surf Life Saving Queensland staff and friends of the missing man assisted in the search.
The man, from the Melbourne suburb of Keilor East, had been holidaying on the Gold Coast with a group of about 10 friends.
It’s understood they had been staying at a holiday house that backed on to the canal and had been in the city since New Year’s Eve.
Emergency services were called to the intersection of Hooker and Sunshine boulevards at Broadbeach Waters after reports a man entered the water and did not return.
Gold Coast police Acting Superintendent Greg Baade told media it was “a terrible tragedy”.
“This is a group of young people who have come from Victoria on holidays – for this to happen is an absolute tragedy,” he said.
He said the circumstances leading up to the accident would form part of f the investigation.
Friends of the man will speak with police to shed light on the drowning.
The incident prompted a safety warning from Supt Baade.
“We always recommend that you only swim in patrolled areas or in designated swimming areas or swimming pools,” he said.
Police have contacted the family of the 21-year-old man, whose shattered friends will have to return to Victoria without him.
An autopsy will be conducted and a report will be prepared for the coroner.