Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A surfer who got into trouble in stormy weather off the coast of an Australian city and his friend who tried to save him both died melbournePolice said on Thursday.
The incident happened near Frankston Pier in southern Melbourne late on Wednesday, as winds gusting up to 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph) hit the city, authorities said.
Police Detective Inspector Melissa Nixon said the 36-year-old British A man living in suburban Frankston decided to go surfing in wild conditions. The man’s surfboard was broken, but Nixon did not know how it happened.
The surfer’s friend, a 43-year-old Frankston resident, tried to save him.
Nixon told reporters, “The surfer was clearly in distress. He was struggling in the water after his surfboard broke. He had no surfing experience…His friend clearly saw he was in distress and jumped in to help him.”
A police rescue helicopter responded and pulled both men out of the water, but neither could be saved.
Nixon said one emergency responder was hospitalized overnight after ingesting “large amounts of water,” but was released Thursday.
The two dead persons have not yet been formally identified.
Nixon cautioned people against entering the water under unsafe conditions.
High winds downed trees and branches and knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses in Melbourne and elsewhere Victoria State.