Four family members who drowned at a Phillip Island beach were dragged into the surf by a rip, police say.
Two women and a man, all in their 20s and living in Melbourne, were pulled unconscious from the water near Forrest Caves, an unpatrolled beach on the island’s south-west, at about 3.20pm on Wednesday.
Paramedics tried to save their lives but they died at the scene.
Another woman, 43, was pulled to shore a short time later.
She was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition and died on Thursday.
Acting assistant commissioner Karen Nyholm said during a press conference on Thursday the 43-year-old was holidaying in .
Four members of the same family died after being pulled from the water at a beach on Phillip Island
Two women and a man, all in their 20s and living in Melbourne, were pulled unconscious from the water near Forrest Caves, an unpatrolled beach on the island’s south-west, at about 3.20pm on Wednesday
‘Yesterday afternoon there was an extended family at the beach area and four of those family members decided to take a wade in the waters,’ she said.
‘The waters down here are known for rips and treacherous conditions and unfortunately those four people were swept up in what we believe to be a rip condition.’
A rip is a very strong and narrow current that pulls the water back out to sea. They can pull swimmers from the beach at a rate of about one or two metres per second.
Ms Nyholm said the impact of the deaths would be ‘profound’ on the family, along with police, paramedics, and lifesavers who tried to save their lives.
There were harrowing scenes at the beach as lifeguards pulled the bodies from the water on Wednesday.
One man could be heard shouting: ‘I told them not to go – I should have been there.’
Alex Tzatzimakis, who was at the beach, said the situation was ‘horrible’.
She said beachgoers were in tears as bystanders who had heroically brought the four people back to shore performed CPR.
Pictured: A warning sign at Forrest Caves Beach, warning people about the rough surf
The beach is not patrolled but there are signs warning swimmers about rough conditions (pictured: mourners at the scene on Thursday)
‘The family was really upset,’ Ms Tzatzimakis told 7News.
‘There seemed to be a group of 10 people who came here for a really nice day. Obviously it turned to tragedy.’
Life Saving Victoria director Kane Treloar said off-duty lifeguards who were surfing at the beach tried to save the swimmers.
‘Upon arriving at the scene our lifeguards found off duty lifeguards had pulled three of those people from the water and one of our rescue boats had pulled that last person from the water,’ he said.
He said Forrest Caves Beach was very dangerous for swimmers due to rip tides.
The beach is also not patrolled.
‘It’s been almost 20 years since we’ve seen a single event that’s resulted in such a high number of loss of life in Victorian waters,’ he said.
‘Our thoughts do go out to all those people involved.’
Police are not treating the situation a suspicious.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Four people died following a mass drowning incident at the Phillip Island beach on Wednesday (scene pictured)