A surfer in distress and a friend who tried to rescue him both died in stormy weather off the coast of Melbourne, Australian police said on Thursday. The incident occurred late Wednesday off Frankston Pier as the city was being lashed by wind gusts of up to 81mph, authorities said, per the AP. Police rep Melissa Nixon said a 36-year-old British man who lived in suburban Frankston decided to surf in the wild conditions. The man's surfboard was broken, but Nixon didn't know how that had happened.
The surfer's friend, a 43-year-old Frankston local, tried to rescue him. "The surfer was obviously in distress," Nixon told reporters. "He was struggling in the water after the surfboard broke. He wasn't experienced at surfing ... His friend obviously saw he was in distress and jumped in to help him." A police rescue helicopter responded and pulled both men from the water, but neither could be revived.
An emergency responder was hospitalized overnight after taking in "a large amount of water" but was discharged on Thursday, Nixon said. The two dead men have yet to be formally identified. Nixon cautioned people against entering the water in unsafe conditions. Strong winds brought down trees and branches and caused thousands of homes and businesses to lose power in Melbourne and elsewhere in Victoria state.