Community 'traumatised' after abseiling instructor dies in front of students

Friends and family of an abseiling instructor who plunged to his death in front of a group of students on Thursday have reportedly been left "traumatised" by the tragedy.

Marcello Silveira — described as a loving husband and father — was conducting a school abseiling excursion at Brides Cave, near Margaret River in Western Australia, when he slipped and fell about 40 metres to his death.

Police were called to the popular spot at about 3.20pm to support emergency crews in the medical evacuation of the 53-year-old, but he could not be saved. A number of Year 11 students and teachers from Newman College had reached the bottom of the cliff face and watched as the incident occurred.

'Unfortunate incident' rocks community

Margaret River Officer in Charge Sergeant Simone Taplin said Mr Silveira's death was an "unfortunate accident", Perth Now reported. She described him as a "well-known and well-respected member" of the community.

"I know there's a lot of people that are traumatised by this incident and don't want to relive the facts in the public eye," he said.

Instructor was a loving dad and husband

Mr Silveira leaves behind his wife Katie and their two sons, who are said to be devastated by his death. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the widow by a family friend with hopes to raise $10,000.

"As many of you know, Marcello Silveira has sadly and tragically lost his life. Katie has lost her husband and the boys have lost their dad," it reads.

"This GoFundMe page has been set up so that friends and family of Katie and Marcello can offer their support to Katie and the boys through this very difficult time and ensure that they have the funds to cover all their costs."

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Support being given to school students

In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, the school confirmed the incident and passed on their "sympathies and condolences to (the man's) family and loved ones".

The school will be using "all necessary resources to support the wellbeing and pastoral care of students and staff who have been impacted by this tragic incident".

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