Australia records worst year for drowning

Australia has recorded its worst year of drownings in 25 years .. as life-saving organisations urge people to make safety a focus this summer. New research has found that 339 people died in floods, rivers, pools, dams, and seas in the year to June.

Lifeguards are seen close to a rip where a swimmer drowned this morning at Mermaid Beach, on the Gold Coast, Saturday, February 6, 2021. A third person has drowned in the Gold Coast surf in the space of two days as several beaches close on the strip due to dangerous conditions. (AAP Image/Regi Varghese) NO ARCHIVING Source: AAP / REGI VARGHESE/AAPIMAGE