Section of Australian beach collapses into sea

A large section of an Australian beach has fallen suddenly into the ocean due to erosion, according to authorities.

The landslip, up to 300m (1,000 feet) wide, took place at Inskip Point in Queensland on Sunday or Monday, state officials said.

It is the third incident of its kind in the area in recent years. In 2015, one swallowed a caravan, tents and a car.

Officials said no campers or property had been affected by the latest event. They urged people to avoid the area.

"It's likely this erosion has been caused by the undermining of part of the shoreline by tidal flow, waves and currents," Queensland's Department of Environment and Science said in a statement.

Helicopter pilot Glen Cruickshank said he saw the change while flying over the popular sand peninsula, about 250km (155 miles) north of Brisbane, on Monday.

"It is far bigger than the last two - it's a right big chunk that's just been sucked down," he told the BBC.

Officials described it as "near-shore landslip". Sinkholes, by contrast, emerge from dissolving rock.