by A man has drowned after being caught in a rip on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, as a hazardous surf warning remains in effect for the heatwave-battered state.
Three people got in trouble in the water at Kings Beach, Caloundra’s main surfing beach, just after 6pm last night.
Two people were rescued, but a man in his 30s died on the scene.
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“Two stable patients were transported to Sunshine Coast University Hospital for observation, a female in her 20s and a male in his 30s,” a spokesperson for Queensland Ambulance said.
“The third patient, a male in his 30s, was pulled unconscious from the water with resuscitation attempted, but sadly died at scene.”
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The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a hazardous surf warning for Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast due to ex-tropical cyclone Gabrielle, which is lashing New Zealand’s North Island.
“Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating, and swimming in the following areas,” the BoM said.
A similar warning has been issued for New South Wales, stretching from the Byron Coast in the state’s north, to the Batemans Coast, in the south.
The national drowning death toll this summer has reached 64, according to Royal Life Saving Australia.
The Queensland fatality comes after NSW was rocked by a string of horror drownings this summer branded “the worst on record” for the state.
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Seven drownings over the last six days has seen the state’s total summer toll soar to 23.
The latest fatality occurred last night. when a man was washed out to sea after swimming at a rock pool on Blowhole Point Road in Kiama.
