An eight-year-old girl has been left fighting for her life after she plummeted from the rocks into the sea below at a popular beauty spot.
Dramatic scenes captured on camera show the moment the child's father leapt in after her to begin a frantic search in choppy waters after she was reportedly swept into the sea.
A bystander also jumped into to help with during the nail-biting rescue effort, which took place at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, Australia, on Saturday morning.
The two men then held the unconscious girl's head above the water as they brought her to safety while clinging onto an inflatable device thrown by another member of the public.
Rescue teams arrived on a jet ski moments later, where they brought her onto a rescue basket stretcher and began efforts to resuscitate her.
The team then took her to nearby beach, reports Channel 7, where she was put on a medical helicopter.
Gold Coast Lifesaving operations manager Nathan Fife said: “A young girl is believed to have been swept off the rocks at the gorge and was submerged underwater for a period of time.
“Lifesavers arrived and performed CPR before QAS arrived to assist.”
The eight-year-old girl - who has not been named - remained fighting for her life in Queensland Children's Hospital on Monday after being airlifted from the scene in a critical condition.
Point Lookout is on a stretch of coastline in Queensland that is famed for its beauty - but its dramatic cliff drops and sea views have also made it the site of a number of serious accidents in recent years.
A man had to be rescued from a crevice at the same spot in 2018, while Fernanda Morella from Brazil died after falling 25 metres down Kangaroo Point cliffs in Brisbane in 2021 while celebrating her 33rd birthday.
Her family said she was taking a selfie when she fell off the edge.
Another man was also hospitalised at Kangaroo Point last year after an accident while rockclimbing.
