Two teenagers who were found dead at a waterfall have been identified as tributes are paid to the “best friends”.
Honor Ward and Beau Liddell were found at Wappa Falls on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon. The two, both aged 17, are thought to have died in a tragic accident after one got into trouble before the other jumped to the rescue.
Beau is reported to have jumped to help Honor after she fell from the top of the waterfall and failed to resurface. An urgent search mission was launched on Sunday after the incident, which took place at approximately 2.30pm.
But the operation ended in tragedy with the discovery of Honor’s body an hour later, before divers recovered Beau’s body at around 7.30 that evening. Honor and Beau had also been with a third friend at the time, with the trio visiting the nature reserve together, Mail Online reports.
A tragic social media post written by Beau the day before the accident revealed he had been trying to turn his life around following previous addiction struggles. In the update, he wrote that he had been sober for one week.
Originally from the UK, Honor Ward’s family are reported to have migrated to Noosa, Queensland, several years ago. A family friend said of the three who were at the waterfall, “they were best friends, the three of them”.
In a separate tribute, Beau’s uncle confirmed he had “died trying to save someone else”. “So very hard to find the words,” Stephen Ward said in a public tribute. “Was so proud to be your uncle mate. Beau was a 17 year old with a big heart full of love for his family and friends. He died trying to save someone else.”
A GoFundMe page raising money for the youngster’s funeral has already amassed more that $11,000 AUD (£5,600) at time of writing. The page, set up by family friend Stephanie Neal, wrote: “Beau was a beautiful, creative and kind 17 year old boy with his whole life ahead of him. Beau’s bravery and courage in his last moments will never forgotten.”
Tributes have also been paid to 17-year-old Honor. Her cousin Lorah wrote: “My beautiful baby cousin, I love you darling girl.” She added: “To the boy who tried to save her, you are a hero. This is unbelievably tragic.”
Wappa Falls is part of a dam near Yandina, Queensland, which is regularly used as a swimming spot. However, the spot has previously been marred by tragedy. In 2007, 15-year-old Dominic Hayes died after jumping into the rock pool and drowning following a spell of heavy rain. Mitchell Edwards, also 15, died in 2010 in an apparent drowning.
A 49-year-old Toowoomba man died at the spot in 2022 in an attempt to save his son who had slipped and fallen into the water. ABC News reports the man’s body was recovered from the water following the accident on New Year’s Day, 2022, with his son having been pulled to safety.
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