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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Cait Kelly

Australia’s drowning crisis: why rescuers often perish trying to save family members

A surf lifesaving tower on a beach
It is relatively common that the person attempting the rescue drowns while the person who initially got caught in the water survives. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

At least two Australians and a New Zealander have drowned within a week this summer while trying to save a family member. Experts say it is an alarming number, compared with the normal annual tally of about six, and the causes of such incidents are tragically familiar.

“Now is a really high-risk period,” says Amy Peden, a water safety expert and researcher at the University of New South Wales.

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