Melbourne, December 15: A 26 years old Indian national has drowned at Lake Bellfield, while he was on a day trip with his three friends.

Lake Bellfield is located in the south of the Grampians Ranges. It is a popular tourist spot, known for its panoramic beauty and many adventurous and fun-filled activities.

The Lake itself with its pristine waters is a great venue for swimmers and perfect for canoeing. It is also a popular picnic spot with a peaceful lake side setting near woods and mountain ranges. Fishing is a popular activity at Lake Bellfield.

The location is near the township of Halls Gap.

HALLS GAP Sergeant Scott Olsen said the man was studying at a university in Melbourne.

Sergeant Olsen said the man was swimming at the Bellfield picnic area, marginally outside the designated swimming area.

“He got into trouble some distance from shore and couldn’t be dragged in by his friends,” he said.

Sergeant Olsen said police were conducting an unrelated search operation nearby at Jimmy Creek campground.

“We all tore down the road when we got the call,” he said.

“We stripped down and jumped into the water to conduct a line search of the area where the man was last seen.”

Indian international student was under water for 25 minutes before he was retrieved
Indian international student was under water for 25 minutes before his body was retrieved from Lake Bellfield

Sergeant Olsen said the man was under the water for 25 minutes and was submerged when police arrived.

He was located in two metres of water and pulled onto shore where the police commenced CPR for 15 to 20 minutes before paramedics arrived.

“They performed CPR for another 15 minutes until they declared he couldn’t be resuscitated.”

POLICE will prepare a report for the Melbourne Coroner’s court and the next of kin in India will be contacted.

Police said the area could be dangerous for swimmers.

There’s a lot of safety messages down there, It’s very cold and difficult to swim and gets deep fairly quickly and can get very, very cold.

“People need to be wary. They were just marginally outside the designated swimming area. We don’t encourage swimming in that area.”

Ramakrishna VenuGopal

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