13 July 2016

Kambah man, 37, dies in flood waters

| Charlotte
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police announcement

A 37-year-old Kambah man died late yesterday afternoon after the four-wheel drive utility he was driving overturned in fast-moving flood waters at Cotter Road, Coree.

A joint rescue effort was undertaken by AFP SRG Maritime water police, ACT State Emergency Services staff, ACT Ambulance Service staff and ACT Fire & Rescue officers, but severe weather conditions, fast-rising and moving water prevented the man’s rescue.

The man’s body was found 100m away from the vehicle in which he had been driving.

Conrad Barr, chief officer, ACT State Emergency Service (pictured above), said he couldn’t stress more highly that people shouldn’t try to drive through flood waters.

“The current is often a lot faster than it appears, and sometimes under a couple of centimetres of dirty, muddy water you can have part of a roadway, or breakneck holes, or boulders, logs, all sorts of things that can catch your vehicle.

“It doesn’t take too much water and pressure against the side of a vehicle to turn it into a a temporary boat.”

ACT Policing is investigating the circumstances behind the incident.

More to come

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