Tevita Mahe identified as swimmer who drowned in Australia Day tragedy on the Murrumbidgee River

A swimmer who was found dead after vanishing in a river on Australia Day has been identified.

Tevita Mahe, 37, was being towed on an inflatable behind a boat on the Murrumbidgee River at Darlington Point, in western NSW, when he fell into the water about 2pm on Sunday.

He did not resurface, sparking a major three-day search operation which ended when his body was found at 8.10am on Tuesday.

Soon after the discovery, a friend shared a touching photo of Mahe’s friends sitting by the river as she rejoiced that his body had been found.

‘’Your boys are with you, bro,’’ she wrote.

‘‘You are all leaving here together. The way it should’ve been on Sunday.

‘‘In this lifetime and the next, brother, we got you.’’

‘Come back’

Tributes have begun to flow online for Mahe, who was affectionately known to loved ones as “Oleni”.

‘‘Come back,’’ one friend said, alongside a crying emoji.

‘‘I would love to see your face where you are.’’

Another friend wrote: “In God’s loving hands now brother.”

“I love you uncle,” his nephew wrote.

‘During the search, hopeful loved ones had urged members of the community to pray for Mahe to be found.

‘’Come together in prayer from the comfort of your homes, at work, by praying at the designated time to bring the spirit of God as we continue the search for our brother,’’ one friend wrote.

The post also included a line from the late singer Prince’s song Purple Rain, saying: “We only want to see you laughing in the purple rain.”

According to social media, Mahe, whose family is Tongan, was originally from Griffith but was living in Perth.

The search operation involved police, NSW Ambulance, the State Emergency Service (SES) and the Volunteer Rescue Association.

Mahe’s death comes just one month after a 21-year-old man drowned in the Canberra end of the Murrumbidgee River.

The investigation into Mahe’s death continues and anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers.