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SYDNEY: A British man drowned while surfing at a Melbourne beach after strong winds during stormy weather broke his surfboard, while his friend who tried to rescue him also drowned, authorities said on Thursday.
Emergency services were called to Frankston Beach in southeast Melbourne on Wednesday evening following reports of two men in trouble in the water, police said. A police helicopter then took them back to shore but neither could be revived.
The surfer was a 36-year-old British national and his friend was a 43-year-old man, Detective Inspector Melissa Nixon told reporters. The pair are yet to be formally identified.
She said the surfer was inexperienced and became distressed after his surfboard broke, prompting his friend, who had been standing on the pier, to jump in and help.
"The weather conditions yesterday were obviously not appropriate to be in the water surfing, whether you're experienced or you're not experienced," she said.
Frankston City Mayor Kris Bolam described the incident as "devastating", urging people to pay heed to severe weather warnings.
Wind gusts of up to 130 kph were recorded in the state of Victoria, where the beach is located, on Wednesday - well above the 90 kph threshold Australia's weather bureau lists as one of the criteria for a severe thunderstorm.
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