3 Friends Were Warned Not to Go Fishing Before They Vanished. Hours Later, Their Bodies Were Found

“One death is a tragedy, but three is unthinkable,” said Superintendent Trent Cox of the South Australia Police

Three missing fishermen were found dead after a local warned them about the dangerous water conditions.

On Monday, March 16, officials announceRussell Fisher, one of the three men found dead at Beachport. Picture: Facebookd that the bodies of three men in their 60s and 70s were discovered in the waters off Beachport, a coastal town in South Australia, after they didn’t return to shore the previous afternoon, the South Australia Police said in a statement.

Les Demamiel, 74. Picture: Facebook65 year old John McKenzie was found dead with his two friends at Beachport. Picture: 9NEWS

The victims all hailed from the Riverina region of New South Wales. They have since been identified as Les DeMamiel, 74, Russell Fisher, 67, and John McKenzie, 65, 7 News, 9 News and news.com.au reported.

A report will be prepared for the coroner, and the South Australia Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The risk was apparent to Alan Campbell, a local fisherman, who encountered the trio on the day of the fatal fishing trip on Sunday, March 15. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) he urged the men not to venture out in the rough waters.

“I said, ‘Mate, however big your boat is, there’s a wave to match it, and these aren’t the conditions to be out in that boat,’ ” Campbell said. “When I saw the trailer on the ramp, I was very concerned.”

He later drove along the beach and called authorities after he didn’t see a sign of the men’s boat, ABC reported. Police said a multi-agency search was launched on Sunday around 2:30 p.m. local time.

Superintendent Trent Cox of the South Australia Police told ABC that the men did not appear to be wearing life jackets. According to 7 News, Fisher couldn’t swim because of a spinal injury he sustained years ago.

“From what we can gather, there were life jackets aboard; sadly, it does not appear any of the gentlemen were wearing them,” Cox told ABC. “One death is a tragedy, but three is unthinkable.”

At a press conference, the official told reporters that a civilian in a small airplane located the overturned fishing boat between Beachport and South End, and also discovered one of the victims. The other two men were located later by search and rescue teams, according to the report.

Beachport South Australia

Beachport in South Australia, Australia.Michael Zegers/imageBROKER/Shutterstock

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After the bodies of the three fishermen were discovered, a friend told ABC that ‘they died doing what they absolutely loved.”

She added, according to the outlet, “Just the most beautiful people.”