British-born father-of-two dies after van gets caught in deadly Australian floods
9 April 2022, 07:25
A British-born dog breeder has died after he was caught in flooding in Australia.
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Tony Ikin was heading to a dog show when his van was submerged by rising water in Cobbity on the outskirts of Sydney.
The body of the father-of-two, who was said to have been a respected breeder and judge, was found in the vehicle after New South Wales Police deployed a helicopter and divers.
The 68-year-old had been due to arrive at the Royal Easter Show, which was set to be opened by Princess Anne on Saturday.
Mr Ikin's Facebook page said his birthplace was Birmingham.
Read more: Pictured: British finance lawyer who was killed alongside son, 9, in Australian landslide
Friend Robert Zammit said: "Loved his dogs, of course, but just a gentle human being."
He described him as a "gentle soul" who would "help everyone".
"Tony was not the person who would take a risk. He left home to come to the Royal Easter Show early, it would have been dark," he told Nine News.
"He must have thought it not too deep."
The wider region where Mr Ikin died, Camden, is enduring its third flood in the past month as the Nepean River burst its banks.
A national emergency was declared in March after floods swept through chunks of the east coast. Dozens of lives have been lost.
An investigation into how Mr Ikin died is under way.
The tragedy comes just days after a British father and son were killed when their family became victims of a landslide in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
