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Footage has emerged from an Australia Day pie and lamington-eating competition in Queensland that turned to tragedy when a woman died.

The woman, 60, is believed to have suffered a seizure at the event at the Beach House Hotel in Scarness near Hervey Bay at about 2pm yesterday.

She was given CPR and taken to Hervey Bay Hospital but could not be revived.

Channel 9 has aired mobile phone footage from the event.

It shows rows of people seated downing pies and lamingtons as fast as possible. Glasses of water are beside each person to wash down the food.

Crowds of people can seen around the tables, cheering on the competitors.

One woman throws her hands in the air after apparently completing the challenge first.

However, the jovial atmosphere turned when it was apparent one of the competitors was injured.

A woman at the pub said it was a very sad day for the community.

“Sadly a lady died during the lamington eating competition,” she wrote on Facebook.

“This lady shovelled the lamington into her mouth with no restraint … inhaled the coconut and arrested.

“The pub was very quick to respond with CPR, and the ambulance rocked … working on her (for) over half an hour, it didn’t look good.”

Another woman told the Courier Mail she was filming the competition when she noticed something was wrong.

“I was filming and just as my friend finished I noticed she was dribbling so I rang triple-0 as she fell to the ground,” she said.

“I was talking to triple-0 until they arrived. The manager and security and a friend of mine worked on her until then.

“They put a sheet up around her and worked on her for at least another half an hour. They shocked her a few times and were still doing CPR as they took her out about 30 to 40 minutes later.”

She said the woman was selling earrings at the pub earlier in the day.