British man drowns in Australia after surfboard snaps

A British man has drowned after his surfboard snapped during wild weather in the Australian state of Victoria while the friend who tried to save him also died.

Police were called to Frankston Beach, about 45km (28 miles) south-east of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon after receiving reports two men were in trouble in the water.

A police helicopter arrived within 15 minutes and the two men were winched back to shore but neither could be revived. The officer who retrieved the men was treated in hospital after swallowing water and later released.

Neither man has been formally identified as police are yet to notify their families. A report for each man will be prepared for the coroner.

Police said they had alerted the public to stay out of the water on Wednesday due to high winds, with the state experiencing wind gusts of up to 130km.

Detective Inspector Melissa Nixon said the surfer, 36, had “minimal experience” and “it appears he may have only been learning to surf”.

“The weather conditions yesterday were obviously not appropriate to be in the water surfing, whether you’re experienced or not,” she said.

The other man, aged 43, saw his friend was in distress and struggling in the water after his surfboard broke.

“They’ve actually jumped into the water to help and conditions were that bad, he’s obviously succumbed to the conditions of the waves and the water,” Nixon said.

She described the scenes of the two men being retrieved from the water as confronting and said the two deaths had been preventable.

She urged the public to not go surfing or swimming under treacherous conditions.