The manager of a north Queensland cafe ripped apart by a gas blast earlier this week has died of her injuries in a Brisbane hospital.
Nicole Nyholt, a 37-year-old mother of two, was pronounced dead just before 5:00am, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) said.
Ms Nyholt, also known as Nicole Dempsey, had suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body.
She is the daughter of the cafe’s owners, who were overseas when the explosion occurred.
Family friend Jane Rodwell said she would be sadly missed.
She was a beautiful young lady, Nicole was; she was very tall and golden haired, and a very warm spirit.
Family friend Jane Rodwell
“She was a beautiful young lady, Nicole was; she was very tall and golden haired, and a very warm spirit,” she said.
“She is a well-loved member of this community.
“She belongs to the netball group — she’s very involved with that, so there’s lots of lovely women of her age who are grieving deeply in Ravenshoe right now.
“They just had a meeting about an hour before this in that cafe — a netball meeting.”
Ms Rodwell said there was a “desperate feeling” in Ravenshoe.
“You can sort of pick it up in handfuls — the pain, the hurt, the bewilderment,” she said.
A public online fundraiser for the family, GoFundMe, which has so far managed to raise more than $11,400 for Ms Nyholt’s family, broke the news to supporters this morning.
“This morning we wake to the devastating news Nic has lost her fight. Our thoughts and prayers are with her whole family, especially her two beautiful children,” a statement on the site this morning read.
Acting Queensland Premier Jackie Trad said Ms Nyholt’s death was “very sad”.
“I express my deepest condolences on behalf of the Government to the family. This was a young woman just doing her job, and it’s just a tragic freak accident,” she said.
Seven people remain in a critical condition in various hospitals as a result of the blast.
They include two men, aged 59 and 69, who were flown to Brisbane early this morning on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane, with an ambulance waiting at the Brisbane Airport to transfer them to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH).
One of two firefighters who was in the cafe at the time of the explosion is also in Brisbane hospital.
The driver and sole occupant of the ute, Brian Scutt, 60, remains in hospital in Cairns.
He has been in a critical condition and induced coma with a broken spine and burns to his face, back and body.
His son James said a heart attack or a stroke may have caused his father to lose control of the vehicle.
A QPS spokesman said officers were continuing to investigate whether Mr Scutt suffered a medical condition prior to the crash.
“Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has photos or footage and is yet to speak with police is urged to contact the Cairns Forensic Unit or Crime Stoppers,” the spokesman said.
The first fatality from the blast comes just hours before a community meeting scheduled for the Ravenshoe community later today.
Its aim is to help residents who are still reeling from the blast.
Yesterday, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Doctor Jeannette Young said to her knowledge the RBWH had not managed this many burns victims from the one incident.
She said other Brisbane hospitals would help provide intensive care to the blast victims.
“We are going to be asking other hospitals to take up some of the intensive care load which, of course, they are very happy to do, and they have already stated a system in place to make sure that any Queenslander that needs intensive care is able to access it.”
Dr Young said victims of the explosion will be receiving treatment for months if not years to come.