Drysdale River: Kayaker pinned against tree in rapidly rising water ‘for days’

Tragic details have emerged of the effort to rescue two kayakers stranded in crocodile-infested waters, with one of the men drowning after he was pinned against a tree for days as water rapidly rose around him. Both men — aged 59 and 79 — were part of a nine-person multi-day kayaking tour of the Drysdale River — about 150km west of Wyndham — when they fell into the choppy river about 1pm on Monday. Speaking to The West Australian, Kimberley Superintendent John Hutchison said the 59-year-old jumped into the water in a bid to rescue the elderly man but was swept away by the fast-flowing current. “The 59-year-old went down a rough section of the river and was followed by the 79-year-old gentleman,” Supt. Hutchison said. “The second fella got into trouble and went into the water and was obviously struggling, so the 59-year-old doubled back and went into the water as well to try and help him out.” Supt. Hutchison said the elderly man was trapped against a tree in the middle of the river “for days” but could not free himself. He later drowned as a result of the water rapidly rising around him. “The river was rising and eventually, he became fully submerged in the water, trapped against the tree,” Supt. Hutchison said. “Obviously, over a period of time his body became free and he floated downstream. “We then did an aerial search looking for his body ... he was still wearing his safety gear, so luckily, his body was floating and we were able to rescue him downstream some distance.” His body was recovered on Thursday. Meanwhile, the 59-year-old man had climbed into a nearby tree to wait for help. Supt. Hutchison said the man was in the tree — which was about 25m from the shoreline — for about five hours on Monday before emergency services threw him a lifeline. “He jumped off the tree towards the lifeline and took hold of the lifeline and then he was dragged in,” he said. “It was a difficult situation; he was in a position approximately 25m from the bank of the river and you can imagine how very fast-moving the water is, which is estimated to be well over 6ft deep. “(He was) in amongst a lot of trees and a lot of fallen logs ... it was a very hazardous environment and it was just too dangerous for us to send rescuers into the water because they would no doubt have become in trouble themselves.” The 59-year-old was safely rescued and did not require medical attention. Supt. Hutchison said heavy rainfall and “monsoonal activity” made the rescue missing extremely challenging. Emergency services including Water Police, the Queensland Fire Department’s swift water team and WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services were deployed to Drysdale Station to help with the rescue mission. “It’s a very risky activity to undertake in those conditions in that area, and it really was quite complex for us to mobilise the resources required in an area where there was no road access,” Supt. Hutchison said. Supt. Hutchison said the river was so remote, emergency crews had to be flown to the scene. He said the river was so choppy, it would have been too dangerous to send crews into the water. “We flew boats from Perth and Queensland up to the Drysdale river ... we also flew quite a lot of resources and personnel, so it was quite a big operation to undertake. “It took quite a lot of effort to recover the 79-year-old’s body, also noting that there are crocodiles in the area ... there’s a number of hazards (for the rescuers to consider).” Supt. Hutchison warned tourists to “consider the risks” before partaking in dangerous activities. “We would just ask that people really consider the risk of what they’re doing in these areas prior to doing them, because if they don’t do a full risk assessment and mitigate the risk, this kind of thing can happen, and unfortunately, a 79 year old gentleman has lost his life,” he said. The incident has been referred to WorkSafe. A report will be prepared for the coroner. A WorkSafe spokeswoman said an investigation was underway which included “liaising with police who were the first responders”. “Due to the remoteness of the site of the incident, we have very few details as yet,” she said. “We have not yet firmly established the name of the company involved. The incident is a timely reminder to employers of their duty to provide a safe environment for their clients as well as their workers.”