A 46-year-old man drowned in fast-moving floodwaters in west-central Queensland overnight.
Robert Bax was with his family and dogs at the Loyd Jones Weir in Barcaldine around 6.00pm yesterday when he slipped and fell.
Emergency services and SES from the nearby towns of Longreach and Blackall were called to the scene and a full-scale search operation was launched.
More than a dozen firefighters and SES volunteers worked in poor lighting to search for the man.
Sergeant Al McPhee of Barcaldine Police Station said it was unclear whether Mr Bax had tried to walk through the floodwaters.
“He got into the river with his two dogs, he lost his footing, he sank and he couldn’t come back up,” Sergeant McPhee said.
“We don’t know if he intended to walk from one side of the spillway to the other.”
Sergeant McPhee said family members witnessed the incident and were upset.
Mr. Bax’s body was recovered 200 meters downstream a few hours later.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) spokesperson said it was a tragic accident.
“Very gloomy when we found the person,” said acting QFES Longreach Inspector Kim Llewelyn.