Windsor Beach tragedy as man drowns in Hawkesbury river

Christmas Day tragedy as a man’s body is pulled from the water at a popular river with a notorious history

  • Man tragically drowns at a popular river swimming spot north-west of Sydney
  • The man’s body was pulled out of the water at 5.15pm and onto the beach area  
  • Despite the frantic efforts of paramedics the man was not able to be revived
  • The river’s deceptive currents make it one of the worst NSW spots for drownings 

A man has drowned at popular river swimming spot late on Christmas Day.

At around 5:15pm on Sunday emergency services were called by a ‘distressed woman’ who reported a unconscious man had been pulled from the Hawkesbury river at Windsor Bridge to the north-west of Sydney.

Paramedics desperately tried to revive the man at the scene, which is a picturesque spot favoured for family picnics.

A man has died after being pulled from the Hawkesbury river north-west of Sydney on Christmas Day

A distraught woman was seen being comforted by police at the scene of the drowning near Windsor Bridge

A distraught woman was seen being comforted by police at the scene of the drowning near Windsor Bridge

Despite the frantic efforts of ambulance crews to revive him the man, believed to be in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

A small group of concerned onlookers watched the tragedy unfold as a  distraught woman was seen being comforted by police. 

An air ambulance helicopter was called in and removed the body. 

Police are investigating the incident. 

A small crowd of onlookers gathered as paramedics made a desperate attempt to revive the man

A small crowd of onlookers gathered as paramedics made a desperate attempt to revive the man

A report will be prepared for the NSW Coroner. 

It is the second drowning victim claimed by the Hawkesbury river in Windsor area over the month of December.  

A 16-year-old went missing on December 15 while swimming in the river at Windsor Beach.

Police, SES and ambulance crews searched the river for hours until the body was found in the late afternoon. 

Police and ambulance attended the scene of the tragic drowning at a picturesque swimming spot

Police and ambulance attended the scene of the tragic drowning at a picturesque swimming spot 

There have numerous other tragedies in the region, where the river is an enticing way to cool off in the summer heat.

The Royal Life Saving Society ranked Windsor on the Hawkesbury as the second worst area in NSW for drownings in 2022. 

The river has tricky undercurrents that can surprise swimmers and trap them.

‘I know how dangerous the river can be,’ Liz Pratt, a member of the Windsor Paddlesports Club, previously told the Hawkebsury Gazette.

An air ambulance helicopter was called in and it took away the body of the man, believed to be in his 30s

An air ambulance helicopter was called in and it took away the body of the man, believed to be in his 30s

‘Lots of families and teenagers, and grown men, they look at the river and think it’s calm – but there are eddies… as well as debris under the water, strong currents, and the river is wider than a lot of people think.’

At the request of the community two floatation devices have been placed off Windsor Beach. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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