Melbourne: Two men drowned after being swept into the ocean in southeast Melbourne amid severe winds that hit the Australian state of Victoria on Wednesday. Police on Thursday identified one of the victims as a British national who was surfing in extreme conditions, while the other was his friend who attempted a rescue effort.

According to Namibia press Agency, Victoria Police reported that emergency services were dispatched to Frankston Beach, located 38 km southeast of central Melbourne, following reports of two men in distress in the water on Wednesday afternoon. Despite being located unresponsive in the water by a police helicopter and brought back to shore, both men could not be revived.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had issued a severe weather warning on Wednesday morning for destructive winds across almost all of Victoria. Wind speeds in the state’s southwest exceeded 120 km per hour, while Melbourne faced gusts reaching 90 km per hour.

The State Emergency Service stated on Thursday that i
t received over 1,400 requests for assistance on Wednesday, predominantly due to trees falling across roads and properties.