A police officer and another woman have drowned while canyoning in the NSW Blue Mountains, with witnesses reporting the officer was trying to save the student from a whirlpool.
The bodies of Senior Constable Kelly Foster, 39, and the younger woman were recovered on Sunday about midday after they went missing on Saturday.
Witnesses say Snr Cst Foster attempted to rescue the younger woman after her inflatable lilo was swept in by a whirlpool, tipping her off and into the water.
Unfortunately she was also swept into the whirlpool as she tried to assist.
The younger woman has not been identified but is believed to be a 24-year-old international student from Chiswick in Sydney.
The women disappeared beneath the water at Mount Wilson on Saturday afternoon.
Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene about 2.30pm and helped eight other members of the group the pair were part of, who were not injured.
The search resumed on Sunday morning with police divers joining the effort, after it was suspended about 6pm on Saturday because of poor weather.
Canyoning involves hiking, swimming, abseiling and navigating rock formations while travelling through canyons or river areas.
Snr Cst Foster had most recently been stationed at Lithgow.
