By Violet Li
Three Clyde residents are among the four who drowned at Forrest Caves Beach on Phillip Island on Wednesday 24 January.
Kirti Bedi and Suhani Anand, both nursing students aged 20, and 23-year-old nurse Jagjeet Singh Anand lost their lives in the accident.
The fourth victim is the 43-year-old Reema Sondhi who was travelling from India.
The deceased belong to an extended family.
Friends and local communities have launched a fundraising campaign to support the deceased’s families.
“This loss leaves a void for the families that can never be fully filled,” the fundraising page wrote.
“Reema had come to Australia for a holiday to visit her brother’s family and was staying with them in Clyde. Sadly, she will never return to her two children who are in India.
“Shivam, a registered nurse with a heart of gold, saved many lives throughout his career but was unable to be saved when needed himself.
“Suhani and Kriti, both nursing students, had planned to stay home and focus on their studies, but life had other plans.”
More than $77,000 has been raised with a goal of $100,000.
Forrest Caves Beach is unpatroled, and a prime spot known for surfing, according to Life Saving Victoria operations general manager Liam Krige.
He said the beach had good waves and a heightened chance of ripping.
“Rips are the leading cause of drowning in Australia,” he said.
Ambulance Victoria was called at about 3.30pm and when paramedics arrived, two off-duty lifeguards who were surfing at the beach had already pulled three of the victims from the water.
CPR was administered on all four but three were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Ms Anand was airlifted to Alfred Hospital in a critical condition, where she was confirmed deceased on Thursday morning.
Victoria Police Eastern Region assistant commissioner Karen Nyholm said the victims were wading in the water when the tragedy happened, but further investigation was needed.
She said the number of deaths was horrific.
“It is a horrific sight for anybody,” she said.
“And for those people who witnessed it, I’m sure it’s something that they will unfortunately have to recall for the rest of their lives.”
Mr Krige said this tragedy brought the death toll due to drowning to 19 individuals since 1 December last year, which was already two more than the same period last summer.
“This number is too high,” he said.
He said any drowning death was preventable and he urged the public to prioritise water safety and head to a patrolled location.
When asked if there was enough warning for tourists and people unfamiliar with the beach, Mr Krige said it was difficult to say.
“The vast majority of beaches do have safety signage that does meet the Australian standard. Those signs do give clear advice about what the dangers are,” he said.
“But again, people can always do more…They can always do a bit of research before they are heading out to those locations [beaches].
“But the easiest thing is to head to those patrolled locations, seek advice from lifeguards and volunteers, and they’ll be able to provide you with those safe swimming zones.”
The nearest patrolled beach is about 4km away.
Mr Krige said Life Saving Victoria patrolled 67 beaches across Victoria and would always explore opportunities to patrol additional locations.
“But that again is down to the landowners and local councils to determine the need for a lifeguard service,” he said.
“We need to remember that water safety is more than just rescue.
“It is about being really aware of the dangers in the first instinct, trying to prevent those rescues from even happening in the first place.”
The last comparable incident was at Stringray Bay in Warrnambool in 2005 where three adults and two children died, Mr Krige said.
The families are now organising the funeral and bringing overseas members together in Melbourne.
Police will continue investigating the incident and preparing a report for the coroner.
To assist with the families, donate at gofundme.com/f/phillip-island-tragedy-4-lives-lost-pls-help
