A woman has died after she was pulled from the surf at Coolum Beach.
The 27-year-old backpacker from France and her German partner were swimming at an un-patrolled section of beach near the mouth of Stumers Creek on Wednesday evening, when they experienced difficulty in rough conditions.
Local lifeguards brought the woman, who was unconscious, to the beach.
Paramedics and lifesavers performed CPR before she was taken to hospital in a critical condition but she later died in hospital.
“We did get a pulse back on her and she was transported to Sunshine Coast Hospital under lights and sirens,” Queensland Ambulance Senior Operations Supervisor Di Rigby told reporters on Thursday.
“I believe the gentleman attempted to assist his girlfriend but he got into so much trouble that he was about to drown himself, so he needed to come to shore.”
Regional chief lifeguard Anthony King recently implored locals and visitors to be cautious in the water and pay heed to lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers.
“A lot of people go out that little bit too far at times … they go just beyond their depth and get swept out,” he said.
Sunshine Coast Life Saving Services co-ordinator Shane Urban recently told Sunshine Coast News that there were risks associated with swimming at river and passage entrances, particularly during big tides.
Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article.
