Two Indian students were drowned after getting caught in a rip in Australia's state of Victoria on Monday evening, police said.

The pair, a man and woman in their early 20s, were swept away in the rip, they said.

The 19-year-old man was a Deakin University student in Melbourne.
 
The woman, 22-year-old, had only been in Australia for about 10 days. Their families will be contacted in India, ABC reported.

Paramedics were unable to revive the man and police located the body of the woman an hour-and-a-half later. Sergeant Bill Matthews said the two were only in knee-deep water when they were swept away.

"It is very hard to understand how two people could drown when they were standing at the edge of water and not out swimming," he said.

The beach is not a safe place to swim, he said, adding there is a general warning sign on the entrance to the beach and the beach is unpatrolled.

"We have not had any drowning in Victoria to my knowledge in the past, but it is a little treacherous this area," he added.