Two tourists from the UK have drowned near the Great Barrier Reef.
Two males, aged 46 and 17, were pulled from the water by a police rescue helicopter and pronounced dead.
It happened while they were swimming at a beach in the town of Seventeen Seventy, Queensland.
An Australian man was also rescued and is in a life-threatening condition.
Rescuers believe he may have jumped into the water to help the two tourists.
Police haven’t released any names but confirmed the deceased were from the UK.
“We’re not sure whether the third person jumped into the water trying to perform a rescue,” said Darren Everard of Surf Life Saving Queensland.
The beach does not have a lifeguard station.
