Drowning deaths: kayaker dies off Victorian coast amid spate of deadly water incidents
A kayaker has died in waters off Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Emergency services were called to Rosebud beach about 3.30pm on Thursday. There were reports a man on an inflatable kayak had got into trouble and gone into the water up to 800 metres off shore.
A search was launched and his body was found after about two hours. Authorities will prepare a report for the coroner.
It is the latest in a string of deadly incidents over the Christmas break, including the death of a two-year-old girl who drowned in a back yard pool in northern New South Wales on Wednesday, bringing the number of deaths from drowning in the state since Christmas to five.
Royal Life Saving Australia says 30 people have drowned around the nation since the start of December, six more than this time last year.
Search for man missing off NSW south coast suspended
After three days of trying to find a man swept out to sea while rescuing a family member, crews suspended their search on Thursday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to Congo beach, about 40km south of Bateman’s Bay on the NSW south coast, after reports a man had gone missing in the water about 3.30pm on Boxing Day.
Officers were told the 19-year-old had swum out to rescue a family member in difficulty in the surf, when he became caught in a rip and was swept out to sea.
The incident sparked a multiagency search including crews from PolAir, Marine Area Command, surf lifesavers, Marine Rescue NSW and the Westpac Rescue helicopter.
But on Thursday afternoon, rescue crews decided to halt the search.
“Despite an extensive search of the water and surrounding land for the past two days, the 19-year-old man from Sydney has not been located, and the search was suspended at midday Thursday,” NSW police said in a statement.
South Coast police district Insp Greg Flood previously told reporters the man was fishing with his brothers when he became caught in a rip.
“They were down there fishing when the younger brothers went into the surf, and this man has gone in to assist his brothers and to get them from the surf,” Flood said.
“He has retrieved one of his brothers and I believe the other brother got out by himself and this man was swept out.”