Weather is threatening efforts at Mossman Gorge on the third day of a search for a missing woman

Deteriorating weather and dangerous water levels impeded upon the search for a missing woman on Saturday and are threatening to further delay efforts as the operation resumed on Sunday.

A massive technical search effort resumed at Mossman Gorge about 8am this morning but menacing weather is threatening to further delay the efforts of emergency services crews, a police spokesman has said.

Divers, swift water rescue crews and SES teams scoured the waters and scanned the land surrounding the Mossman River yesterday with hopes of finding the 54-year-old woman who was reported missing on Friday when fast water carried her downstream, but dangerous weather and water levels forced police to postpone further efforts to Sunday.

Wayne Coutts, SES Far Northern regional director, said the river started to rise again at 3pm on Saturday, leaving the operation’s leaders no choice but to postpone.

“It started pouring rain … the divers and swift water rescue had to finish up for safety,” Mr Coutts said.

“We were searching everywhere, from where she was last seen all the way down to Mossman – about one kilometre.

“We searched the banks either side of the river where she might have been able to make it out.

“We’ve got 23 people up there again today. We’re very keen to do what we can to find her today.”

Senior Sergeant Ed Lukin addresses the media at the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre on Friday afternoon. Picture: Emily Barker.

The woman was reported missing about 2pm on Friday, January 6.

Speaking on Friday afternoon, Senior Sergeant Ed Lukin said police “feared the worst but hoped for the best”.

“The woman entered the water to swim at the Mossman Gorge waterhole, was seen to be in distress and was swept downstream,” he said.

“A group on a platform a couple of hundred metres from the swimming area observed her go past and she was seen by a large rock in the middle of the Mossman River and has not been seen since.”

Initial reports suggested two women were missing, but police said another woman was able to extract herself from the water.

Despite an intense search by police and SES on foot, and swift water rescue firefighters on the water, the woman has not yet been located.

A police officer stands on the road to Mossman Gorge after reports a swimmer was swept away. Picture: Supplied

“The elevated level of river means there are severe concerns (as) the water level is quite higher than normal and can rise quickly. While it might be sunny here in the Mossman Gorge vicinity, the rain can pour in the hills and then come roaring through very quickly,” he said.

Snr Sgt Lukin said as soon they were alerted to the incident they immediately activated the SES including their drone operator to assist with the search.

“Three passes of the area were made by Rescue 510 (helicopter) from her last known position and the swift water rescue firefighters searched on the water,” he said.

Mossman Gorge is part of the Daintree National Park. Picture: Supplied

“You can access the banks by foot and they have also been searching in other areas but they are impassable.

“If she had made it to the (river) banks there’s no reason why 510 or the drone would not have seen her.”

Until the woman is located, Mossman Gorge has been closed to the public.

Emergency vehicles included Queensland Fire and Rescue at Mossman Gorge visitor centre on Friday afternoon. Picture Emily Barker.

Meanwhile, Snr Sgt Lukin warned people to be extremely careful when swimming in the region

“Swim at your peril in the Far North in these kinds of conditions,” he said.

“It can’t be understated how dangerous some water courses are, even when they look quite placid, there can be dangerous undercurrents in the wet season.”

The Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre website advises against swimming in the river, saying people have been injured and deaths have occurred at Mossman Gorge.

“The Mossman River is an unpredictable and inherently dangerous waterway that can and does change drastically – and quickly,” it states.

“The Mossman River is also unsupervised and water conditions are not regularly monitored.

Swimming is not recommended at Mossman Gorge, but it remains a popular spot to take a dip. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Entering the Mossman River can be dangerous even when it appears calm and shallow near the shore, due to a combination of strong currents, cold deep water, and submerged objects including rocks and floating logs.

“Water conditions can change very quickly and unexpectedly, particularly in times of high rain, and flash flooding can occur even when it is not raining in the immediate area.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said on Friday the swift water Rescue Unit had been activated and was at Mossman Gorge.

“We have swift water firefighters upstream and downstream,” she said.

“There are six firefighters crews at the scene.”

Know something about this? Contact us via [e-mail]

Originally published as Weather is threatening efforts at Mossman Gorge on the third day of a search for a missing woman