Tourist dies saving sons from Australian riptide
A tourist died rescuing his two sons caught in a riptide off an Australian beach.
Andrew Priestley, 44, from Leicestershire, was on holiday when his sons aged 12 and 10 got caught in strong currents at Burrill Beach south of Sydney on Australia’s east coast.
He managed to rescue his sons by lifting them on to a surfboard before suffering a fatal cardiac arrest.
Mr Priestley, a businessman from Market Harborough, was on a three-week road trip from Sydney to Melbourne with his wife, Amanda, and their children.
Mrs Priestley, 43, had stayed on the beach with their daughter Amelia, eight, while her husband and sons went into the water.
Burrill Beach is a popular spot among holidaymakers at this time of the year. A Filipino national drowned there last month.
But the Beachsafe website warns that Burrill Beach and a nearby sandy area are rated as ‘highly hazardous’ due to the persistent rips.
The beach is backed by 10 to 20m high dunes and a central caravan park with a walking access to the beach.
Diane
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