Warnings migrants, refugees at risk of dangerous SA waters, amid tributes to drowning victim Nasir Mohsani at Browns Beach

A man who drowned after falling from rocks while fishing off Yorkes had only recently been reunited with his family, amid warnings for migrants and refugees.

An Afghan man who drowned off the coast of an SA national park at the weekend had only recently been reunited with his family, community leaders say, as they warned more awareness is needed for migrants and refugees moving to Australia.

Nasir Mohsani fell into the water while fishing with friends at Browns Beach in Innes National Park on Saturday.

Nasir Mohsani, from Salisbury, who drowned while fishing at Browns Beach in Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula. Picture: Supplied

Police and national park rangers launched a search for the 41-year-old, recovering his body on Sunday afternoon near Pondalowie Bay, about 8km southwest of where he went missing.

Afghan United Association of South Australia chair Hussain Razaiat said Mr Mohsani, who was originally from Afghanistan, would be greatly missed by the community.

He said the Salisbury man had only recently been joined by his family in Australia.

“He was very happy reunited here with his family and children,” he said. “He was going to build a good life for himself and the family.”

Mr Razaiat said Mr Mohsani was the third or fourth man the community had “lost around the water in South Australia” in recent years.

He said Afghanistan was a landlocked nation and many were unaware of the dangers posed by Australian waters.

“We never had an ocean like in Australia and people think they’re sitting on a rock and they’re safe,” he said.

Mr Razaiat wanted community members to be more aware about the risks of a trip to the beach and for settlement services who worked with newly arrived migrants and refugees to “stress the risk” posed by the sea and road.

Police and emergency services search Brown's Beach in Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula for a man washed from rocks while fishing. Picture: 7NEWS Adelaide

Police at Brown's Beach in Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula. Picture: 7NEWS Adelaide

“Both of them are risky and we have lots of casualties unfortunately,” he said.

“I think the community members need to be more aware about the risk of going around the beach and they have to follow the warning signs and the authorities who are guiding people.

A number of migrants and tourists have met a tragic fate along the South Australian coast in recent years.

Last year, a 16-year-old boy, originally from Afghanistan, went missing after slipping into the water at Granite Island.

In 2019, a Victorian teenager whose family had fled Afghanistan, went missing in the surf off Parsons Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula before his body was found.

Mr Razaiat said warnings and safety information displayed on signs at beaches and national parks also needed to be available in different languages, “particularly the languages of people who drowned there”.

A Department for Environment and Water spokesman said a thorough risk assessment of the area around Browns Beach was undertaken after a previous drowning in 2021 in consultation with SAPOL and Surf Lifesaving SA.

“Signage and fencing were upgraded as a result of this review and included providing warnings in Arabic and Farsi languages,” he said.

“Fishing from the rocks in this location, or any other remote location within the park, is actively discouraged due to the safety risk.”

Originally published as Warnings migrants, refugees at risk of dangerous SA waters, amid tributes to drowning victim Nasir Mohsani at Browns Beach