Emergency services respond to water incident in Barwon Heads

Two people have died after a horror Saturday morning on the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsula, while another Moriac man remains in hospital.

There has been an incident in Barwon Heads this morning. Photo: Alan Barber.

Two men have died after a horror Saturday morning on the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsula.

A 66-year-old Anglesea man was pulled from the water at Barwon Heads after a fishing trip turned fatal, while a scuba diver was found dead on the other side of the bay at the Rye Pier.

A 61-year-old Moriac man was rushed to hospital as a result of the Barwon Heads tragedy.

Ambulance and police crews were called after their boat capsized around 6.50am at the river mouth on Saturday morning.

It’s understood the five metre fishing boat was struck by a wave and overturned.

The boat reportedly capsized when hit by a wave at Barwon Heads (TWITTER/X-@reardon_shaun).

One of the men was rescued by members of the public on jet skis after they found him sitting on top of the capsized vessel.

The other man was trapped underneath

Senior Constable Kevin Hoare said the pair were met with treacherous conditions before tragedy struck.

It’s believed the deceased may have been tangled in anchor rope.

“The surviving fisherman wasn’t able to save him,” he said.

An investigation will be launched into the exact circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said a man, 61, was in a stable condition at the Geelong hospital.

Police at the scene of a tragedy in Barwon Heads this morning. Photo: Alan Barber.

It comes as witnesses reported seeing police cordon off an area near At The Heads restaurant this morning.

A white sheet could be seen covering the deceased.

One witness recalled the “eerie” sounds of a police helicopter circling the seaside village and further along the coast towards Torquay.

“I knew something bad had happened,” she said.

In Rye, emergency services were called to the Pier at 10am where a man, who is yet to be formally identified, was located unconscious in the water by other scuba divers.

“Emergency services continued CPR but sadly the man, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene,” a police statement read.

Police will investigate and prepare a report for the coroner.

The death marked the second drowning at the site in just over four weeks.

A man also died at the Rye Pier about 3pm on January 5, while another was pulled from the water at Rosebud on December 28.

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Originally published as Emergency services respond to water incident in Barwon Heads