The bodies of two men have been recovered at a scenic waterfall after they failed to resurface from a swim.
The tragic outcome of a search-and-rescue operation saw the bodies of two men understood to be aged in their 20s recovered from Millaa Millaa Falls, approximately 90km south-west of Cairns in North Queensland.
Emergency services responded to reports of two people missing around 8.55am on Tuesday morning.
It was earlier understood three men had jumped off the 16 metre-high falls, but it’s now believed they entered the water for a swim and two failed to resurface.
The male friend was rushed to hospital.
Earlier, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said four crews were on the scene to assist the Queensland Fire Department.
‘We’re being tasked to assist search and rescue for two people who’ve gone missing at the falls,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘A third male has been transported to hospital.’
A popular tourist attraction, Millaa Millaa Falls is one of the Far North’s most iconic waterfalls.
Millaa Millaa Falls is a heritage-listed plunge waterfall approximately 18.3 metres in height.
It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 December 2005.
The falls are adjacent to the town of Millaa Millaa on the Atherton Tableland.
In March, a 20-year-old international student went missing after he leapt from a ledge into water at Crystal Cascades, west of Cairns, and failed to surface.
A search and rescue operation was launched by emergency services and divers recovered his body the next day.
It is understood the tourist was swept downstream after swimming at the top of a set of waterfalls – an area marked as a no-swim zone.
Crystal Cascades waterfall is a popular swimming destination for locals and tourists alike, but is also the site of numerous drowning deaths.
In April 2023, a father and son, aged 59 and 21-years-old, were declared dead after they were found unresponsive in waters near the falls.