2 women drown in separate incidents in northeast Australia

1/1/2025 18:06

Two women have drowned in separate accidents in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland.



Queensland Police said on Wednesday that a woman who went missing while floating down a river northwest of Brisbane on Tuesday has been found dead.



The 53-year-old woman fell into fast-moving water at about 2:30 p.m. local time and did not resurface, triggering a search operation involving a helicopter, drone and water rescue crews.



She was found dead on Wednesday afternoon. Queensland Police said the death is being treated as non-suspicious. Earlier on Wednesday, a woman died in a scuba diving incident.



A spokesperson for the Queensland Ambulance Service said that five crews were sent to Wave Break Island, a popular swimming, snorkeling and diving spot 60 km southeast of Brisbane, after the woman was pulled unresponsive from the ocean at about 10:10 a.m.



Ambulance crews treated the woman but she was declared dead at the scene.



More than 30 people have drowned across Australia since the start of summer on Dec. 1, according to data from Royal Life Saving Australia.