A refugee who had recently resettled on Nauru after being sent to the Australian immigration centre there drowned when he was caught in a rip, witnesses have said.

A Nauruan citizen who was trying to rescue him also drowned in the attempt.

Nauruan photographer, Clint Deidenang, said local people had told him the man had been swimming off the Gabab Channel. He said the waters there were “notorious for taking lives”.

“The name of the channel means death,” he said.

The man died on Sunday. A Nauruan citizen who was trying to rescue him died too.

Deidenang said a third man who also had tried to help and who had been taken to hospital suffering from exhaustion was released from the Republic of Nauru Hospital on Monday morning.

The two men who attempted the rescue did not know the man who had been swimming, Deidenang said.

Nauru police have launched an investigation into the drownings, which will be the subject of a coronial inquiry.

The Nauruan government has extended its sympathies to the families of the men. It added it would not be appropriate to gain “political mileage” from the tragedy.

“We are devastated that we have lost a new member of our community, and applaud the bravery of those who attempted the rescue,” the president, Baron Waqa, said in a statement.

“While the circumstances of the tragedy are under investigation, sadly – like in any coastal community – accidents in the water can happen.

“This is no comfort for the many families that have been impacted by this incident.

“We mourn the loss of one of those rescuers and our thoughts are with the second man who ended up in hospital.

“However, we do hope that everyone acknowledges the accidental nature of this and does not attempt to gain political mileage from such a tragic event.”

The Australian immigration minister, Scott Morrison, said in a statement that the government extended sympathies to the families and friends of both the drowned men, and that it was a matter for the government of Nauru.

“It is a very sad incident. This person I understand was a Pakistani national originally. He had been found to be a refugee and had been resettled. So he was a private resident on Nauru just like someone who would be on a visa in Australia,” Morrison said.

A second group of asylum seekers was this week granted refugee visas on Nauru and released into the community.

A total of 19 people were granted refugee status by the Nauru Government and four people had their applications knocked back.

They have now been released from Australian immigration detention on the island and given five-year visas.

The government says similar to previous arrangements, those found to be refugees will stay in separate accommodation blocks in the community.

The new families will be housed at the newly-completed residential accommodation in Ijuw District.

Like previous arrangements, those found not to be refugees will remain at the Regional Processing Centre.

The statement says the refugees will move into more permanent and more suitably-located accommodation in the second phase of their housing arrangements.

It says refugees that are resettled into the community are free to move around the island, seek employment and be part of the community.

The government of Nauru says it will continue to hand down refugee status determinations in the coming weeks.

The first asylum seekers to be granted refugee visas on Nauru were released on May 22.

A total of 13 asylum seekers were given refugee protection, including an Iranian family and four single men.

They will be given the option of settling in Cambodia if a resettlement deal between Australia and that country is signed as expected.