Man, 23, drowns after being swept into the rapids of Melbourne's Yarra River, just days after four people died in a Phillip Island beach tragedy
Emergency services have recovered the body of a 23-year-old man who went missing after being swept away by the current into treacherous rapids.
The man was swimming with friends in Melbourne's Yarra River near North Warrandyte in the city's northeast at 7.20am on Sunday when strong currents swept him away.
His friends alerted police when they noticed he had become separated from the group and an extensive search was launched.
Police Air Wing, Search and Rescue Squad and State Emergency Service were called in to assist with the efforts before the body of a Wantirna South man was found at around 1.30pm.
He was pronounced dead at the scene but has yet to be formally identified.
The body of a 23-year-old man was recovered from the waters of the Yarra River in Melbourne's northeast on Sunday morning (photo, police on scene)
The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
It brings the total number of drowning deaths in the state to 20 after four members of one family died after being pulled from the waters off Phillip Island.
The relatives were Melbourne nurse Jagjeet Singh, 23, university students Kirti Bedi and Suhani Anand, both 20, and Reema Sondhi, 43.
Ms Sondhi was on a family holiday from India and had only been in Australia for two weeks.
Her husband, Sanjeev, was also dragged into the surf through a dangerous rip, but was rescued by rescuers.
It is the state's worst drowning event in nearly two decades.
Victoria Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Karen Nyholm said the Forrest Caves Beach area was known for dangerous surfing conditions.
“Yesterday afternoon there was an extended family at the beach and four of those family members decided to wade in the water,” she said.
It comes just days after four people died in a single drowning accident on Phillip Island in Victoria's worst drowning tragedy in almost two decades (pictured, Phillip Island police)
“The waters down here are known for their rifts and treacherous conditions and unfortunately those four people have been swept into what we believe is a rift condition.”
“It's certainly an absolutely tragic, tragic event,” Life Saving Victoria chief executive Liam Krige said after Phillip Island's death.
'It just emphasizes the important safety message of making sure that when you go to the shoreline, you prioritize going to a monitored location and that you prioritize water safety.'