Victims of Phillip Island drowning tragedy identified

The victims of the Phillip Island mass drowning incident have been named.

The four people who drowned in waters off Phillip Island have been identified.

Melbourne nurse Jagjeet Singh, 23, university students Kirti Bedi and Suhani Anand, both 20, and Reema Sondhi, 43, all died after struggling in the surf at Forrest Caves Beach on Wednesday.

Mr Singh, was a permanent resident in Australia, while Ms Bedi and Ms Anand were on student visas.

Reema Sondhi.

Ms Sondhi arrived in Australia two weeks ago.

Ms Sondhi arrived in Australia two weeks ago for a holiday. All four are believed to be related.

The tragedy is the state’s worst mass drowning in almost 20 years.

Local media in India said that Ms Sondhi lived in the city of Phagwara in Punjab.

Local councillor Vijay Sondhi, who is Ms Sondhi’s husband’s uncle, said a “pall of gloom descended on the family” after news of her death reached them.

The incident is the worst mass drowning in the state in almost 20 years. Picture: 7 NEWS

Ms Sondhi’s husband, Sanjeev, was pulled into the surf but was able to be rescued by emergency services.

Acting assistant commissioner Karen Nyholm said the family had been caught up in a rip when they died.

“Yesterday afternoon there was an extended family at the beach area and four of those family members decided to take a wade in the waters,” she said.

“The waters down here are known for rips and treacherous conditions and unfortunately those four people were swept up in what we believe to be a rip condition.”

Ms Sondhi’s death has left family members back in India devastated.

The High Commission of India in Australia posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying it had been in touch with the group’s family and friends.

“Heartbreaking tragedy in Australia: 4 Indians lost their lives in a drowning incident at Phillip Island, Victoria. Deepest condolences to families of the victims,” the post read.

Two off-duty lifesavers were first on the scene and tried to rescue the four relatives when the alarm was raised at about 3pm on Wednesday, the Herald Sun reports.

Lifesavers from nearby Woolamai beaches rushed to the scene, along with others on jet skis and two choppers.

Onlookers at the scene of the Phillip Island drowning.

The beach is not patrolled by lifeguards. Picture: 7 NEWS,

Three of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene while a 20-year-old woman was flown to the Alfred Hospital in a critical condition.

She later died of her injuries.

One man could be heard shouting: “I told them not to go - I should have been there.”

The victims were part of a group of about 10 people who had been enjoying a day out at beach.

Forrest Caves, a popular tourist destination on Phillip Island known for its sea caves.

The beach is an exposed beach on the island’s south coast which is prone to rips. It sits just west of Cape Woolamai and is not patrolled by lifesavers.

It is understood not even the locals swim at the beach because of the danger.

The caves, formed by water erosion, can only be accessed during low tide.

“If the surf is up, the caves can quickly flood. Do not enter the caves and beware of playing in the rock pools,” one walking guide warned about the area.

“The surf along here is rough, and there are no lifeguards – so best to keep away from the water.”