SYDNEY, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A woman has drowned and a man is missing after a group was swept off rocks into the ocean at a beach in southeast Australia.

The police in the state of Victoria said that emergency services were called to a beach at San Remo, 85 km southeast of Melbourne, on Friday morning after two women and one man were washed off rocks into the water.

One of the women made her way back to shore but the other woman and the man were unable to, a police statement said.

During a search of the water, the police air wing located an unresponsive woman. She was brought back to shore but could not be revived.

The search for the missing man was ongoing. The woman who managed to return to shore was taken to the hospital.

The incident occurred on the Good Friday public holiday, the first day of the nationwide four-day Easter long weekend.

Jacinta Allan, premier of Victoria, said her thoughts were with those affected by the incident and urged people across the state to be vigilant about water safety over the long weekend, with temperatures forecast to be unseasonably warm.

Surf Life Saving Australia on Friday urged people to make coastal safety a priority. It said that the drowning risk is four times higher during public holidays. Enditem

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