Tourist dies in Fraser Island rollover as police probe hinterland fatal
A tourist has died and another is in a serious condition after their four-wheel-drive rolled on a Fraser Island beach.
The accident came as police continued to investigate the cause of a "horrific" quadruple fatality in the Gold Coast hinterland on Saturday.
Two rescue helicopters were sent to Fraser Island after reports the vehicle rolled on 75 Mile Beach, north of Eli Creek, at low tide about 7am on Sunday.
Police said initial investigations suggested the driver lost control of the vehicle, which was carrying four foreign tourists.
The driver was pronounced dead and a back passenger was airlifted to hospital with "significant injuries".
The two remaining passengers were treated at the scene.
The incident followed a fatal crash that closed Nerang Murwillumbah Road for hours on Saturday, with police believing the driver lost control of the sedan, which veered into an oncoming utility about 1pm.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene at Advancetown, with fire crews working to free some of the four people from the vehicle as paramedics tried to revive them.
A 22-year-old woman from Upper Mount Gravatt, a 20-year-old woman from Emerald, and a man and woman from Townsville, aged 20 and 21, died at the scene.
The driver of the utility, a 31-year-old man, was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital with minor injuries.
The crash site at Advancetown, in the Gold Coast hinterland, on Saturday.Credit:QAS
District duty officer Senior Sergeant Brett MacGibbon told reporters at the scene that any accident involving a death was "horrific enough, let alone having four".
Queensland Ambulance Service acting operations supervisor Jay Nevins said the "very experienced" paramedics were faced with a tragic scene.
"My condolences go out to the patients and their families," he said. "The Nerang Murwillumbah Road is known for road traffic collisions."
Last month the Department of Transport and Main Roads allocated $34 million to improve safety on the notorious stretch through its "high risk" roads program.
Works including wide centre line markings, dedicated right turns at Advancetown, and potential shoulder or pavement widening, improved signage and guardrail works are expected to begin in March next year.
Parts of the region received more than 100 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, as a trough tracked south off the coast.
Forensic crash unit investigations into both incidents are ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
- with Jocelyn Garcia