Firefighter Thomas Neville part of huge emergency response that rescued the body of deceased kayaker

SES crews have been forced to cut through 1400m of scrub to retrieve the body of a man who was tragically killed in a kayaking accident in FNQ.

SES crews have been forced to cut through 1400m of scrub to retrieve the body of a man who was tragically killed in a kayaking accident on the South Johnstone River on Boxing Day.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, police and SES crews have been based at campgrounds 900m from the body but unable to get to it because of waterfalls and dangerous terrain.

The terrain along the bank south of the staging area, nearest the man’s body, was too steep to traverse.

Swift water rescue teams from QFES prepare for the extraction of a man's body from the South Johnstone River. Picture: Alison Paterson

To get the QFES swift water rescue teams to the river’s edge, SES crews had to cut through 1400m of thicket and scrub about a kilometre downstream from the body.

“It took quite a while to recover the deceased person as access to the location was extremely difficult,” senior firefighter and swift water rescue crew leader Tomas Neville said.

The swift water rescue teams then waded through deep, fast-flowing water and scrambled over boulders to reach the 45-year-old man’s body.

Crews from the SES cut through 1400m of dense bushland beside the South Johnstone River to ensure access for QFES swift water rescue crews. Picture: Alison Paterson

“It was a fairly tough environment to access that casualty. There were massive features including waterfalls, as well as extremely high-grade white water,” Mr Neville said.

The team’s original intent was to guide the QGAir rescue helicopter to the site and winch the deceased man out, but persistent wet weather denied them safe conditions.

Instead, the team realised they’d have to carry the body out. For this they needed specialist equipment, which was located at a previous staging area.

Crews for the SES depart the staging area. Picture: Alison Paterson

They made the dangerous journey again knowing they’d have to safely navigate the river at least twice more, and light was fading.

“We made the trip four times. Some of us were a bit beaten up from all the scambling over rocks. But, everyone made it out safely, which was pretty good considering the extreme terrain,” Mr Neville said.

More than 50 emergency services personnel participated in the rescue operation across two days, including 40 SES volunteers and a dozen swift water rescue specialists.

The extraction was completed about 6pm on Wednesday and all crews were off the scene at 6.15pm.

A police spokesman said a report was being prepared for the coroner.

Originally published as Firefighter Thomas Neville part of huge emergency response that rescued the body of deceased kayaker