(CNN) A woman has choked to death on a lamington -- Australia's national cake -- during an eating competition to celebrate the country's national day.

The 60-year-old was taking part in a lamington and pie eating competition in the coastal city of Hervey Bay, in the state of Queensland, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.

The event took place at the Beach House Hotel on Sunday to mark Australia Day -- a public holiday typically celebrated with parades, fireworks and food festivals around the country.

The Australian staple is named after Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901.

Videos taken by witnesses show the hotel bar packed with people, cheering on contestants seated at a long table covered with plates of food and glasses of water.

The woman had been eating a lamington -- a type of sponge cake coated with chocolate and coconut -- when she had a seizure and choked, Nine News reported.

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