Russell Varley

Two people are unaccounted for following a house fire near Bundaberg over the weekend. Queensland Police are investigating the blaze in the remote rural area of Good Night and are looking for a man and woman in their 70s who lived on the property. Police arrived to find the house at Booyal Crossing Road fully engulfed about 9:15pm Saturday. Nine Queensland Fire Department crews battled the fire after being alerted by multiple Triple Zero (000) calls.

There has been a tragic end to a search for a missing toddler in Bundaberg. The three-year-old boy had been reported missing in Thabeban on Tuesday afternoon. Police said he was found unresponsive near Central Avenue shortly before 9:30am. He was declared dead at the scene. His death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

Community members in the Queensland town of Bundaberg have vowed to carry on fighting against a coal-exploration permit despite the holder going into administration. Creditors of West Australian company Fox Resources will meet tomorrow for the first time since principal financier Zimprops Coal advised in September that it would no longer provide funding. The mining-exploration company collapsed with debts of more than $14 million.