Father drowns trying to rescue child who fell into waterfall

A father has drowned as he tried to rescue his child who fell into Wappa Falls on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The child was pulled to safety and taken to hospital yesterday, but the 49-year-old couldn't be saved.

Police said they were called to the scene around 2pm after receiving reports a man had disappeared after diving in to rescue a child that had fallen into the waterfall area.

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Emergency crews searched for the man and located his body yesterday evening. (9News)

Police confirmed to 9News the man was the child's father.

Divers located the man's body around 6.30pm.

Water safety is in the spotlight after a recent spate of drownings around the country.

The man drowned after trying to rescue a child who slipped into the falls.(Google Maps)

At least eight people have died in Australia in the first couple of days in 2022.

The body of a 17-year-old girl was pulled from Murray River in South Australia after she fell from a houseboat on New Year's Eve.

The body of a 15-year-old boy was also been recovered in the Shoalhaven River west of Nowra, New South Wales, after he went missing on New Year's Eve.

The bodies of a man and woman were also been found inside a submerged car in Port Stephens, New South Wales.