An 80-year-old man has died after a bush camping trip in Victoria went tragically wrong.
The man and two friends were camping at Suggan Buggan on the New South Wales border when they decided to go for a dip in the Snowy River.
Victoria Police Inspector Peter Fusinato said one of the three men was swept away by a strong current.
“An 80-year-old male was caught in the current and went in the rapids,” he told the ABC. “The other two males were a bit younger and managed to get over to the bank and ran downstream … they found him face down in the water.”
The friends tried to resuscitate the older man but were not successful.
The ABC reports that an ambulance helicopter was called to the scene but paramedics declared the man dead on arrival.
Inspector Fusinato said it was a tragic reminder to everyone to be aware of the swimming conditions.
“It was the warmest day we had that week. It’s just been unfortunate that they haven’t realised that the river flows, after all the rain we had, pretty quickly,” he told the ABC. “It’s a tragic event for the other two males that were present who obviously tried to the best they could for their friend.”
What better way for an adventurer to go. See ya in Paradise cobber.