Questions remain in tragic death of tourist

A REPORT will be prepared for the coroner as authorities try to work out how a Japanese tourist fell to her death in a horrific Christmas Day accident near Tully.

The body of the tourist, who slipped from a lookout at the top of Murray Falls, was retrieved by emergency services on Saturday after an overnight search.

Searchers initially failed to find any sign of the woman on Christmas Day. They recovered her body from the pool at the bottom of Murray Falls, about 135km south of Cairns, after the search resumed at first light.

Tully police Sergeant Rod Stanley said officers had been in contact with the woman’s friends, who were still distressed but helping in the investigation.

“My advice to people would be to enjoy this beautiful part of the world, but remember that even if it is not raining it can still be quite slippery on the rocks and surface at locations like Murray Falls,” he said.

“Especially with the instability of weather up here, it can start raining and cause the area to become quite slippery in a matter of seconds.

“Tourists or people unfamiliar with the area should attend with locals or people who understand the situation they’re dealing with.

“They should exercise extreme caution.”

The Japanese backpacker, believed to have been aged in her 20s, was trekking with friends when she slipped and fell 30m.

It was one of two waterfall incidents in the Far North over the Christmas weekend, with emergency services called to Crystal Cascades at Redlynch on Friday after a woman slipped on rocks and fell.

She was rescued by fire crews and taken by ambulance to Cairns Hospital suffering from back pain.

Sergeant Stanley said the Murray Falls incident was not being treated as suspicious, calling it a “tragic accident”.

Australia Japan Society of Far North Queensland vicepresident Barry Struber said the Japanese community in the Far North would be mourning the death for months to come.

“I think it’s a tragedy for the family and the person concerned, and also for Japanese families who live in the Far North,” he said.

“Unfortunately with how many Japanese tourists come to the region, there is always a chance of things like this happening.

“But we have to learn to live with that and comfort families who have lost somebody.

“I would advise any Japanese tourists to listen to the locals and accept their advice.

“I’ve hosted Japanese people before and I know they are very willing to take that on board.”