New South Wales Police has appealed to holidaymakers to take extra care when going in the water. There have been seven drowning deaths in the state over the Christmas period.
Though the police expect the risk of drowning deaths to increase as temperatures soar further, but they have a straightforward message for revellers- “if you don’t know swimming, don’t go in”.
Men are being particularly warned against taking undue risk.
“Men have a little bit of more bravado than women do, and for that reason, they put themselves at more risk,” a police officer told 9News.
Sujan Adhikari, a Nepali student is among those who lost their lives in the water this holiday season.
A friend told that 29-year-old was at Wattamolla Lagoon in the Royal National Park on Christmas Day and got into trouble when he jumped off a cliff. They had stopped for a short swim on the way to a picnic.
An eyewitness said Sujan failed to resurface after he dived in.
Paramedics tried to revive him for about an hour but failed. He was then pronounced dead by a doctor.
Anup Raj Neupane, Adhikari’s friend said Sujan was to sit an English exam on Monday for his permanent residency.
Mr Adhikari had been in Australia since 2009. His friends have described him as “kind and cool” who “always wanted to live in Australia”.
On Monday, another international student from Nepal, 27-year-old Sujan Sharma, drowned in Kangaroo valley after he took out his life jacket following a canoeing trip.
Overnight, a teenage boy is feared to have drowned after having gone missing while swimming at the southern end of Maroubra beach.
For more news and updates, follow SBS Punjabi on .
