Bethany Farrell died by drowning while scuba-diving in Australia. The 23-year-old British tourist was on a dream trip Down Under.

Farrell, a graduate from the University in the United Kingdom, reached Australia during the mid-part of February. She wanted to travel and work throughout the country for one year. However, her tour had a tragic end when she drowned in the Whitsunday's. according to initial reports, Bethany might have been separated from her instructor. She could not be resuscitated while she was discovered 11 metres below the surface.

Her parents, Patrick and Caron, live in Colchester, Essex. They are still in the process of finding out what led to their daughter’s death. They wonder why Bethany was put in deep water when she was supposed to dive to five-metre deep water.

Her father argues that his daughter should have been safe since she was on a supervised activity. "At some point, the diving instructor lost sight of Bethany, then realised he could not locate her, returned the other student to the surface, sought help and went back down, presumably with other people to help, and they found Bethany dead 11 metres down,” Patrick said.

The last time the father spoke with his daughter was on Skype a couple of days back. The family is still struggling to believe the fact that their daughter was no more. The father said that he hoped at times that he had gone insane and got the news wrong. British police officers went to the parents’ residence to break the news to them. The 47-year-old called it “devastating.”

Queensland Police have launched an investigation into the death. The investigation, which has been launched with the power to bring criminal proceedings, is led by the Office of Fair and Safe Work and the Australian Police. Equipment used in the trip has been seized while statements have been taken. However, the parents gave been informed that it might take months before any conclusions.

Investigating officers do not suspect any foul play in the incident. Nevertheless, they have not provided their report to the coroner yet.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au

RELATED STORIES