Body of teenage girl is pulled from the water at Wappa Falls in Queensland after freak accident

Emergency services have found the bodies of two teenagers after a tragic incident at a popular swimming spot in Queensland.

Queensland Police said emergency crews launched an urgent search about 2.50pm on Sunday upon receiving reports a woman ‘fell off a waterfall’ but did not resurface at the Sunshine Coast’s Wappa Falls.

‘A male jumped into the water to assist but has also not resurfaced,’ a police spokesman said.

Queensland Police found the body of the 17-year-old girl about 3:30pm on Sunday while combing the area for the pair.

They later located that of a 17-year-old male about 7.25pm

Queensland Police acting Inspector John Mahoney told Nine News the girl had ‘got into difficulties.

‘A friend of the 17-year-old, a male person, has jumped in to try and assist,’ he said.

‘The body of the 17-year-old female has been located a short distance from Wappa Falls this afternoon.’

Queensland Fire crews, including a specialist swift water rescue team, were on scene with specialist police divers and continued searching for the boy into the evenening. 

Police divers then found the missing boy unresponsive in the water and pronounced him deceased at the scene.

Police will prepare reports for the coroner for both the boy and the girl.

‘Wappa Falls remains closed at this time as investigations continue,’ the spokesman said. 

The falls have played host to a number of tragic drowings in previous years.

A man drowned in 2022 while attempting to rescue a child who had slipped into a waterfall in the area.

The falls are a popular destination for bathers in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. 

Signs at Wappa Falls warn visitors of the waterway’s dangers including deep water, slippery rocks, strong currents and flooding. 

More to come.