FEARS FOR MISSING TEEN

Search to resume for Cairns swimmer, 18, at waterhole

A SEARCH will resume today for a Cairns woman, 18, who went missing at the dangerous Babinda Boulders swimming hole yesterday afternoon.

Police hold grave concerns for the teenager. Police, fire and SES crews scoured the notorious waterway from 3pm yesterday and are expected to restart at 7am today.

EMERGENCY services fear the worst after an 18-year-old Cairns woman went missing at a popular Far Northern swimming hole yesterday afternoon.

A search will resume today at first light for the teenager, who was reported missing at Devil’s Pool, Babinda Boulders, at 2.52pm yesterday.

Police and swiftwater search teams set up lights along the Boulders track and combed the area for as long as they could last night.

Detective Acting Inspector Jason Smith said the outcome was not looking good as searchers were forced to wrap up due to the lack of light yesterday evening.

He said searchers would keep looking for as long as they could.

“The missing swimmer entered the water shortly after 2pm this afternoon and failed to surface,” he said.

“As time continues, we grow more and more concerned.”

Detective Acting Insp Smith said police were notifying the woman’s family.

“We’ll be heading back first thing in the morning,” he said.

Acting Sergeant at Babinda Police Station Justin Benvenuti said the woman had gone swimming with her partner and close friends and knew the area.

“We’ve searched one pool where she was last seen and at the moment there have been no results from that search,” he said last night.

“Probably all up we’ve had about 50 persons on scene searching.

“I’d also take this opportunity to remind everyone the signs are up for a reason.

“There are numerous signs here to say not to swim in certain areas and to stick to swimming in the designated areas, so just moving forward we really need to adhere to those signages.

“They were not swimming in the designated swimming area.

“We’ve had rain here for probably the last two weeks so it’s quite flowy at the moment and the water is at a much higher level than normal.”

The Devil’s Pool area of the

Boulders has a reputation for danger and has claimed the lives of 17 swimmers since the 1950s.

A sign at the entrance to the Devil’s Pool walk warns of the danger present at the track, including slippery rocks and rapidly rising water levels.

The road to Babinda Boulders, 66km southwest of Cairns, is closed until further notice.