A woman who was swept into a stormwater drain and drowned in a tragic Boxing Day incident has been identified as a beloved mother and avid adventurer.
Tanya Hehir, 46, was on a running trail when she stopped to explore a popular stormwater drain known as the “Love Tunnel” near Gympie in Queensland’s southeast about 2.30pm on Tuesday.
As she was exploring, a wild storm cell hit the region and dropped 18mm of rain in less than 20 minutes.
The surge of water swept Ms Hehir and two friends, aged 40 and 46, into the Mary River.
The other 46-year-old woman suffered moderate head injuries but was able to reach the bank of the river and call for help.
Rescue crews desperately searched up to 5km for the missing women along the river, finding the 40-year-old’s body about 7.10pm on Tuesday near the entrance to the drain.
Ms Hehir’s body was found about noon on Wednesday near Gympie Weir.
Wild weather has wreaked havoc across Australia’s east during the holiday period, with seven Queenslanders killed by storms.
Gold Coast woman Robyn Carman, 59, was just 100m from her home when she was struck by a falling tree and killed.
A nine-year-old girl is another young victim of the wild storms, killed on Boxing Day when she was swept into a drain by floodwaters in Brisbane.
Mia Holland-McCormack had jumped over the back fence of her family’s property in Rochedale South when she was killed.
Meanwhile, Brisbane Rugby identity David “Mario” Logan and schoolteacher Stephen “Taity” Tait were killed after a boat with 11 people capsized near Green Island in Moreton Bay on Tuesday.
Another 59-year-old man was killed following the accident, with eight people surviving.
More than 47,000 homes have been without power since Boxing Day due to the damage caused by the freak storms.