A TAIWANESE man drowned at the Greenbushes Pool on Spring Gully Road in a tragic weekend accident.
Police said the man went swimming with a friend at about 4:30pm on Saturday, November 1. The men were part of a small group of Taiwanese nationals working in the Balingup area and visiting the pool for the day.
The two men decided to swim across the pool, which is an old mine cut and approximately 50m wide, while the remainder of the group followed the walk trail around.
As they were swimming across, a man believed to be in his 20s struggled to continue and went underwater.
His friend made it to shore and raised the alarm, prompting a female member of the group to enter the water and make attempts to locate the man. These attempts were unsuccessful.
A vehicle from South West Traffic was in the area and was first on the scene, with one officer diving into the pool to attempt to locate the man.
A short time later, Saint John Ambulance arrived and a volunteer officer also jumped into the water.
The police officer located the man and was assisted by the ambulance officer to get him to shore.
CPR was immediately commenced and the victim conveyed to Bridgetown Hospital, where he died.
The family of the deceased man has travelled from Taiwan.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.
“This is a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the friends and family of the young man. As the weather warms up, this event serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of swimming at unpatrolled, naturally occurring waterways. People need to know their limitations, and be cautious when entering unknown waters,” Bridgetown Police Sergeant Daniel Fenton said.
“The actions of the officer from South West Traffic in retrieving the man from the water, assisted by local volunteer ambulance officer Chris Mott, were nothing short of heroic. Unfortunately though, sustained efforts of CPR en route to the Bridgetown Hospital were unsuccessful, and the man was unable to be revived.”
