Jungle surfer critical after 65ft fall

A British tourist was in a critical condition last night after falling 65ft (20m) from a platform in an Australian rainforest.

A British tourist was in a critical condition last night after falling 65ft (20m) from a platform in an Australian rainforest.

The 24-year-old woman from Oxford had been about to "jungle surf" through the forest in Cape Tribulation, northern Queensland. "The woman was preparing to go on the flying fox ride, but we have not established yet whether she was actually on it when she fell," a police spokesman said.

She was flown to hospital in Cairns before being transferred to Townsville General Hospital. Officials said she suffered severe head, chest and internal injuries. Her parents are at her bedside. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "She is still on life support."

Police and safety officials have launched an investigation into the fall at Cape Tribulation on Saturday. The ride, in which people glide along a rope, is run by biological scientists, emulating the method they use to survey flora and fauna.