An Indian man who was visiting his friends in Melbourne has drowned at a popular waterfall in the Grampians National Park in western Victoria.
The incident happened in the rock pool at MacKenzie Falls at Zumsteins, near Stawell, after 6 pm on Wednesday 26 December.
27-year-old Indian national Harmanjot Singh Walia was with his wife and two other friends at the time of the accident.
Mr Walia’s friend and an eyewitness Binoty Vij told SBS Punjabi that some bystanders desperately tried to rescue him but they were not able to reach his body.
“Some swimmers who heard our screams came to help but all in vain. It was too dangerous to go under the fall which seemed like a very dangerous place,” she said.
“It was a very tragic accident. Harman swam to the dangerous end of the fall and got stuck under it behind the rocks. It was a stupid thing to do this adventure. It’s too late to reflect on the circumstances leading to his death.”
Police divers recovered the body at 1 am on Thursday morning.
Mrs Vij criticised poor safety signage surrounding the area.
MacKenzie Falls is a popular tourist attraction where swimming is not allowed. Source: AAP
“There are no visible safety signs mentioning that swimming is prohibited at the rock pool,” she said.
“We were not the only ones who were swimming in the pool. There were a group of more than 15 people in the water. Everyone tried to help but they had to give up because it was too dangerous to continue with the rescue under the deep water."
Mrs Vij said they struggled to contact rescue authorities due to limited telephone reception in the vicinity.
“It took them three hours to reach here to start the rescue and by that time it’s already too late,” she said.
Mrs Vij says she is shocked to realise how dangerous the place is - "We've just learnt that four people have died here in 2004 and there’s another one who died in January 2018."
“I just can’t get over it. I am also looking after his wife who still can’t believe that it happened.
Mrs Vij said that the family of the deceased spent a fortune to send him to New Zealand where he recently acquired a work permit.
27-year-old Harmanjot Singh Walia was visiting his family friends in Melbourne at the time of the accident. Source: Supplied by Danyal Syed
“His tragic death has shattered hopes and dreams of his family back in Patiala, Punjab,” she said.
“He was looking after his family’s financials. His mother recently had surgery after a severe brain haemorrhage.
“He will be remembered as a hard-working, fun-loving man who single-handedly supported his family.”
Meanwhile, the community in Australia has started showing their support for the family through financial donations.
The death is the fifth drowning nationally since Christmas Eve and the fourth in Victoria.
Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
Migrants face a higher risk of drowning
Last week, three Indian nationals drowned at an unpatrolled beach near Coffs Harbour in NSW.
The National Drownings Report shows one in four people drowning in Australian waters over the past decade were born outside of Australia.
International students were the fourth largest category when it came to drownings, with recent arrivals- people in Australia for five years or less and tourists other leading categories.
In NSW, in order to raise awareness and to equip migrants with the swimming skills, the state Government is providing a special swimming program.
Royal Life Saving has been funded to deliver adult 'learn to swim' programs for refugees and migrants across a number of communities mostly in Western Sydney.
