After an accident in the Margaret River caused an abseiling instructor to fall 40 metres to his death, students and instructors attempted to save his life.
Just after 3 p.m. on Thursday, 53-year-old Marcello Silveira lost his balance while leading an excursion for 15 year 11 Perth high school students and two teachers at Brides Cave in Boranup.
The group administered first assistance to the father in an effort to rescue him, but he passed away on the spot.
Counseling has been made available to the pupils this morning as they start to absorb the upsetting event.
The abseiling teacher had over 25 years of experience and was a “well-respected” member of the caving community.
The officer in charge at the Margaret River Police Station, Sergeant Simone Taplin, claimed that a lot of effort was made to try to revive the man.
Marcello Silveira, a Perth abseiling instructor, passed away while on an outing with year 11 students.
She remarked that the assistance “didn’t work” and described the scene as “very distressing”.
On a camp, one of the outdoor activities that the students and teaching assistants participated in was caving.
They were taken from the cave by other experienced abseilers, and then they were placed back on the bus while a counsellor spoke to them.
Taplin stated that the group was “all in shock” when they were transported home last night.
The instructor was a father who had a young family and, while coming from abroad, had been a resident of the area for some time.
He was a well-liked and respected member of the Margaret River and caving communities.
Counseling is being made available to the students.
The event has been reported to WorkSafe, and a report will be made for the coroner.
