Pictured: 'Loving' father who plunged to his death from zipline
The couple who tragically fell from a popular tourist zipline in Queensland on Tuesday have been identified as South Australian couple Dean and Shannon Sanderson.
Paramedics were called to a tourist attraction at Camelot Close at Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns, after the pair plunged more than 10 metres at about 2pm.
Dean Sanderson, 50, was pronounced dead at the scene, while his wife, 48, suffered suspected spinal injuries and was rushed to Cairns Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
In a statement on Wednesday, the father of three was remembered as a "loving husband, father, son, brother and friend to all,” 9News reported.
The couple are believed to have been holidaying in the area for several days before the accident.
The Courier Mail reported the zipline attraction is run by Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours.
A Queensland police spokesman told Yahoo News Australia Workplace Health and Safety investigators are now looking into tragedy.
Mark Cromwell, the managing director of Ferntree Rainforest Lodge at Cape Tribulation, located next to Camelot Close, told The Adelaide Advertiser he believes the zipline cable had snapped while the pair were attached.
“It sounds like there was an equipment failure,” he said.
“I think the whole cable came down, with two people on it.”
American couple Samantha Salyer and Joseph Maghe told 7News they had just finished the section of the zipline that takes people through the world renowned Daintree rainforest moments before the South Australian couple fell.
"We got to the fifth platform and there were two couples behind us. There was a loud noise, we turned around, one of the lines had snapped and we saw them fall," the couple said.
"It shook the entire tree we were on. They hung there, then they both came down at the same time."
In 2004, an English tourist reportedly plunged 30 metres to the ground at the same attraction.
She was left with serious brain injuries, according to The Adelaide Advertiser.
With AAP
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