A young woman has died and a young man is fighting for life after a fall from a hiking trail on Mount Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday morning. Both were 18 years old.
According to 7News, the incident occurred about 10:20am when the pair fell from the mountain track whilst hiking with a group of other young people. Police said the fall happened after light rain made the terrain "extremely slippery". The Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed the woman died at the scene.
The man was winched from the mountainside and airlifted to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in serious condition. Four other hikers required assistance but managed to get down safely and did not require medical treatment.
While the exact height of the fall is not yet known, police believe it may have been between 50m and 100m. The incident marks another tragedy at a peak that has seen multiple rescue operations in recent years. Mount Beerwah's summit trail was closed to climbing from 2009 to 2016 due to rock instability from bushfire, with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council spending $400,000 on removing dangerous rocks and improving warning signs.
Emergency services arrived quickly but faced challenging conditions. The track has been closed to the public following recent rain, with warnings not to use it ahead of its planned reopening on Monday. The closure highlights the hazards posed by wet conditions on the mountain's volcanic rock.
Experts who maintain hiking information for the mountain consistently warn that conditions become dangerous in wet weather. The trachyte rock becomes dangerously slick even after light rain, demanding the climb be strictly avoided in or near wet conditions. Sunday's light rain, though apparently minor, proved enough to create life-threatening conditions on the steep terrain.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner. The incident raises questions about pre-hike preparation and risk assessment, particularly for younger, less experienced hikers attempting technically demanding routes in variable weather.