A grief-stricken Victorian man has broken his silence after four of his relatives died in the state’s deadliest drowning in almost two decades.
Ankur Chhabra was with his wife and seven other family members on a road trip from Clyde to Phillip Island, 120km south of Melbourne, when they made the last-minute decision to visit Forrest Caves Beach.
Mr Chhabra said nine family members visited the unguarded beach on January 24, but only five survived.
His niece and nephew, siblings Jagjeet Shivam Anand, 23, and Suhani Anand, 20, sister Kirti Bedi, 20, and sister-in-law Reema Sondhi, 43, drowned after being caught in a dangerous rip while swimming.
Mr Chhabra explained that his family was only knee-deep in water and having a “fun time”, but conditions became dangerous within 30 seconds.
Grief-stricken Ankur Chhabra (right) and his wife (left) have broken his silence after his sister, niece, nephew and sister-in-law drowned at a popular tourist destination in Victoria
The family were on a road trip through Phillip Island when they decided at the last minute to visit the unguarded Forrest Caves Beach (pictured)
“All nine of us sat down on the rocks and had lunch and had a good time,” Mr Chhabra said. ABC 7.30 Report.
‘Me and my wife sat on the rocks while the family members stood in the water, maybe at ankle height or knee height.
‘It didn’t feel dangerous because it was my children and my family. If I had seen any danger, I would have asked them to move.”
Mr Chhabra’s family, who were all sitting hand in hand in the water, were hit by a large wave that swept them into the sea.
‘Suddenly, after thirty seconds or less, we saw someone in another direction waving his hand and asking for help. When I looked back, it was my family,” he said.
Mr Chhabra and his friends tried to run into the water to save their family but could not reach them due to the strong waves.
Mr Chhabra’s niece and nephew, Suhani Ananad (right) and Jagjeet Singh Ananad (left) drowned at Forrest Caves Beach
Reema Sondhi, 43, Mr Chhabra’s sister-in-law, was airlifted to hospital but later died. Her husband was also in the water, but managed to get to safety (left).
Ms Sondhi’s husband Sanjeev was by her side and was dragged out through the crack, but managed to get to safety and was rescued by rescuers.
Other beachgoers and off-duty rescuers from the nearby beach club immediately called emergency services and came to the family’s aid.
Woolamai Beach Surf club volunteer Jason Close described the tragedy as “confronting” and “shocking”.
Mr Close said from the top of the dunes he saw four groups of people on the beach, with a mix of rescuers and paramedics performing CPR.
Another lifesaving volunteer, Darrell Clarke, rushed to the scene on a jet ski and was ordered by a paramedic to resuscitate one of the swimmers.
Mr Clarke performed CPR for 40 minutes and said the ordeal was ‘quite daunting’ and ‘quite traumatic’, leaving relatives distraught and in tears.
Despite the massive response, three people died on the beach, while Ms Sondhi was taken to hospital with vague signs of life but later died.
beachgoers and off-duty rescuers from the nearby beach club immediately called emergency services and performed CPR on the shore until police and paramedics arrived
Forrest Beach is unguarded and there is a warning sign at the entrance (photo). Mr Chhabra said the family noticed the ‘no dogs allowed’ sign but didn’t see the little warnings about the dangerous surfing conditions
Mr Chhabra said the family outing turned out to be the worst day of his life and was stunned that the only warning sign the family saw was about dogs on the beach and not the dangerous swimming conditions.
‘Within a few seconds we lost everyone. That is the most difficult time of our lives,” Chhabra said.
‘Before the stairs went up, there was a yellow colored sign. It said, “No dogs allowed” or something like that.
‘What’s more important? Dogs on the beach or saving someone’s life? Which sign should be bigger?’
Forrest Caves Beach is known as a notoriously difficult swimming spot with rough surf and dangerous rips.
A rip is a very strong and narrow current that pulls the water back to sea. It can pull swimmers from the beach at a speed of about one to two meters per second.
Professor Rob Brander from the UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, also known as Dr. Rip, said most of Australia’s 11,000 beaches are unguarded and attract swimmers of all abilities.
“It’s something that has always happened and it’s something that will always happen,” Prof. Brander said.
“If you continue to rely on the flag message, you are ignoring the reality that there are many people on unguarded beaches.”
Professor Rob added that it can sometimes be difficult to spot a crack, but the dangers at Forest Caves Beach are clear to see.
‘Cracks are difficult to see from the sand, but on this beach the danger is clear. The dark area is a rip that can quickly draw swimmers,” said Prof. Brander.
Mr Clarke said the signage at the entrance to Forrest Caves Beach is often missed by visitors and tourists alike.
“Every day we talk to people on unguarded beaches about how this is a dangerous area,” Clarke said.
‘Do they have any idea how dangerous it is? Many who swim here, like these visitors, know nothing about the dangers.”
Cracks are the biggest hazard on Australia’s beaches and can be difficult to spot. However, the main signs of a crack are fewer breaking waves, gaps between the waves and deep dark water (photo)
Mr Chhabra said he hoped warnings on unguarded beaches would be made clearer so other families never have to experience losing a loved one.
“For other people, we may have made a mistake. Please don’t make a mistake,” Chhabra said.
‘Things can change in a matter of seconds. It doesn’t take minutes. It only takes a few seconds. Things can change. And someone could lose their life.”
Data from Royal Life Saving Australia showed that 99 people had drowned across the country this summer, between December 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024.
The fatalities marked a 10 percent increase in drowning deaths from the previous summer and a 5 percent increase in deaths over a five-year period.
The data showed that 10 percent of drownings were reported as overseas tourists, with many deaths occurring in unguarded, isolated locations including beaches, rivers, lakes and dams.