A 25-year-old Osaka man was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in overturned on an island off the coast of southeast Queensland, police said Monday.
The man was with seven other Japanese tourists, all believed to be in their 20s, when their four-wheel drive vehicle rolled on a beach Sunday on Fraser Island about 300 km from Brisbane. Takeshi Sakai, from Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Six others were airlifted to nearby hospitals where they are being treated for serious injuries. Another occupant of the vehicle only sustained minor injuries, police said.
According to David Anderson, president of the Fraser Island Association, many visitors to the world heritage-listed island are not aware of the dangers of driving on beaches.
"I think there needs to be more education about the beach conditions that people drive in when they come to a place like Fraser Island because the beach changes constantly," Anderson told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "Every day there are two high tides which change the conditions of the beach — you can drive along the beach one day, the next day the beach will be different," he added.
Following the deaths of a British man and Italian woman in a four-wheel drive accident on Fraser Island in April, the Queensland government adopted measures to prevent accidents.
The government said a review of crash data from 2003 to 2007 showed there was "a serious risk for tourists driving four-wheel drive vehicles on Fraser Island."