Body of British tourist who jumped into Queensland waterfall found

His body was found 1800m downstream

Josephine Falls, where the man's body was found (Creative commons)

The body of a British tourist who jumped into a waterfall in Queensland, Australia, has been found.

The 25-year-old leapt into the water with a 21-year-old Canadian woman at Josephine Falls, a popular beauty spot.

The woman was able to swim to safety, but the British man was swept away by the current. She suffered from injuries to her ankle.

His body was found just over a mile away downstream after he jumped on 23 February at the waterfall, which is just to the south of Cairns.

Before the man’s body was found, Senior Constable Russell Parker, who was leading the search, told ABC: "There's quite a strong current running with the current wet weather and the female of the party was able to swim to the river bank”.

He added: "The man did resurface (and) attempted to make it to land but appeared to be swept somewhat downstream by that current, and from that point, no-one's seen him since then."

It emerged after he jumped that heavy rains had made the river’s currents a lot stronger which in turn made the river a dangerous place to swim in.

The falls, at the foot of Queensland's highest peak Mount Bartle Frere, are notoriously dangerous and are responsible for several previous deaths and rescues.