4 people, including a woman from Phagwara Punjab, died due to drowning in Victoria, Australia. All four belonged to Phagwara’s Sondhi family. According to reports, she had come to visit her family Phillip Island where she drowned. One of the deceased is the daughter-in-law of Phagwara industrialist Om Sondhi. She has been identified as Reema Sondhi, resident of Phagwara, Punjab. The accident was confirmed by the Indian High Commission in Australia. Among those who died, three people were around 20 years old, while one woman was around 40 years old.
The woman's family member Deepak Sondhi said that her sister-in-law Reema Sondhi along with brother Sanjeev Sondhi had gone from Phagwara to Australia a few days ago to meet her family. On Thursday he received information that Reema Sondhi had died by drowning. Two relatives of Reema Sondhi from her maternal family, have also died, while another has been taken to hospital in a critical condition. Deepak Sondhi told that his brother Sanjeev was also present along with his sister-in-law Reema at the time of the incident. Sanjeev narrowly escaped drowning as well.
The incident occurred on January 24. Police said that they received information about people drowning on Phillip Island at around 3 pm. On information, the rescue team reached the spot. The team pulled out three women and a young man from the water. After this, an attempt was made to bring everyone back to consciousness by giving them CPR, but three were declared dead on the spot.
The Sondhi family in Phagwara is in deep shock and grief after the tragedy that happened in Australia. Deepak Sondhi said that he had never imagined that such a tragedy would happen to his family and that too in a foreign country, thousands of kilometers away from Phagwara. Mr. Sondhi said that the body of deceased Reema Sondhi will be brought back from Australia to Phagwara for cremation.