British tourists, 46 and 17, dead after being swept to sea in Australia
Two British tourists have downed off the coast of Australia after they were swept out to sea near the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday.
A 46-year-old man and a boy, 17, were swimming off Round Hill Head at Seventeen Seventy, just north of Agnes Water, yesterday afternoon.
They got into trouble around 2.15pm local time, when emergency services were called.
Both were dead by the time a helicopter pulled them from the water.
They have been confirmed as UK citizens on holiday in the area, police said. Their identities have not yet been confirmed, but they are understood to have been father and son.
It is not yet clear whether their family has been informed.
The beach where they were swimming, near the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, is not monitored by life guards.
Locals consider it too dangerous to swim at and warn visitors against entering the water there, Metro understands.
A third person – a 37-year-old from Queensland – suffered life-threatening head injuries.
‘We’re not sure whether the third person jumped into the water trying to perform a rescue’, said Darren Everard, the local operations manager for Surf Life Saving Queensland.
He called the drownings an ‘absolute tragedy’, ABC reports.
CapRescue said: ‘Multiple crews were tasked to the scene, including CapRescue.
‘Despite the best efforts of all involved, two people tragically lost their lives. One patient was transported by air to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a life-threatening condition.
‘Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking incident.’
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