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Three killed in skydiving accident at Mission Beach, Queensland Experienced skydivers and female customer die in Queensland accident
(about 11 hours later)
Three skydivers have died in North Queensland in what police said might have been the result of a mid-air mishap. Three skydivers have died in North Queensland following a mid-air collision.
Two men in their 30s and a woman in her 50s were found dead at at Mission Beach – several kilometres from the usual beach landing point – just after 3pm on Friday. Two men in their 30s and a woman in her 50s were found dead at Mission Beach – several kilometres from the usual beach landing point – just after 3pm on Friday.
Queensland police said the accident might have been caused by parachute failures when the skydivers collided after jumping from the plane. One of the male victims was a solo skydiver; the others were on a tandem dive.
Police in a statement said “initial investigations indicate that a solo skydiver may have collided with tandem skydivers in mid-air with their parachutes failing to deploy correctly”. Operating company Skydive Australia said the solo skydiver was a “highly experienced instructor who had completed thousands of jumps … the other two were jumping as a tandem pair: a highly experienced instructor and a customer.”
They said investigators and other agencies remained at the scene. Skydive Australia suspended operations at Mission Beach while investigations into the incident continued.
Queensland police said: “Initial investigations indicate that a solo skydiver may have collided with tandem skydivers in mid-air with their parachutes failing to deploy correctly.”
One witness told the Cairns Post newspaper: “You could see one chute was tangled and it wasn’t opening. I was just watching him in free fall until he went behind the trees and that was the last I saw. It wasn’t good to watch. I had my heart in my mouth.”
Skydive Australia said: “The company extends its deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the individuals and families involved and the broader skydiving community.”
Wayne Kimberley, a Cassowary shire councillor who has represented the Mission Beach area for more than a decade, said it was a “terrible accident and obviously a tragedy for the community, and the [local tourism] industry”.Wayne Kimberley, a Cassowary shire councillor who has represented the Mission Beach area for more than a decade, said it was a “terrible accident and obviously a tragedy for the community, and the [local tourism] industry”.
“Obviously from council’s perspective, we’ll be offering as much support as we can, to try and find out what actually happened,” he said. “We value the tourism industry and this is a terrible blow to that industry – particularly at Mission Beach, where we rely so heavily on tourism.”“Obviously from council’s perspective, we’ll be offering as much support as we can, to try and find out what actually happened,” he said. “We value the tourism industry and this is a terrible blow to that industry – particularly at Mission Beach, where we rely so heavily on tourism.”
He said skydiving was a drawcard for adventure-minded tourists in the area, along with whitewater rafting trips on the Tully river.He said skydiving was a drawcard for adventure-minded tourists in the area, along with whitewater rafting trips on the Tully river.
Kimberley said he knew little of the details, including on the initial discovery of the victims. But he said skydivers usually landed on Mission Beach in front of the Castaways resort, which is about three kilometres south of the less populated area near Alexander Drive where the victims were found. Kimberley said he knew little of the details, but said skydivers usually landed on Mission Beach in front of the Castaways resort, which is about three kilometres south of the less populated area near Alexander Drive where the victims were found.