A young man has drowned while he was swimming in Canberra with his friends and family.
The 21-year-old man got into trouble in the Murrumbidgee River on Sunday afternoon before emergency services received calls for help around 6pm.
Police found his body at the popular Tuggeranong swimming spot near Pine Island, in Canberra’s south, about two hours later.
No one else was injured and the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
ACT Police are making further inquiries in relation to the incident. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
One witness, Christina Giorgio, said she feared the worst and said the man may have been under the water for several minutes.
‘I heard a man screaming from the water saying “drowning,” she told the ABC.
Ms Giorgio said another man jumped in the river in an effort to save the young man’s life but he was unable to see him in the water.
Police found his body at the popular Tuggeranong swimming spot, near Pine Island (pictured), in Canberra’s south around two hours later
She said he asked witnesses for a knife in case he managed to catch something.
Emergency services ordered the other swimmers to leave the scene as officers began their search.
Ms Giorgio, who regularly swims in the river, said there was nothing unusual about the conditions in the water at the time the man got into trouble.
The latest incident marks the second death across rivers in Canberra this year after a 23-year-old man died in the Murrumbidgee River near the Uriarra Crossing in February.
Coroner Paula Russell investigated the deaths of three men and a girl in 2023, who all drowned in rivers across Canberra over a 16-month period.
Ms Russell recommended authorities make the water ways in the nation’s capital safer by improving safety messages to the public.
She also recommended that more rescue equipment be placed at riversides that are frequented by visitors.
The swimming spots along the Murrumbidgee River are currently open for swimming after officials closed the water ways due to high bacteria levels that were detected in the water earlier this month.
Authorities have urged swimmers to be aware of the dangerous conditions in inland waterways.
Strong moving currents, changing temperatures and hidden objects beneath the surface of the water can increase the risk of swimming in rivers.
General Manager of drowning prevention and education Craig Roberts said swimmers must always check the conditions before they venture into the water.
‘If you’re going to a location that doesn’t have lifeguard services, it’s really important that you check the conditions beforehand,’ Mr Roberts said.
‘A simple thing is throwing a stick out in the river and knowing how far it’s flowing.’
The state government has committed to installing new signage at river swimming spots, but they won’t be installing lifesaving equipment due to the likelihood the items may get stolen.
