"At which time the body of the 15-year-old boy was pulled from the dam… (only) then (had) people became aware he had been missing for a short time."

The boy’s parents were also at the party, which was attended by around 50 people.

Campbell said there was around a 20-minute window between the boys death and his last sighting.

"At this stage our investigations are trying to look at the manner in which he came to be in the water, and what the timing was around that," he said.

The large waterside, constructed of rubber matting, was a popular activity at the annual 'invite only' event.

"The safety of the structure will form part of the investigation," Campbell said.

Campell said while alcohol was involved at the party, investigations didn't indicate a large amount was consumed.

Police will continue to interview people this week, but were, so far, treating the incident as a "freak occurrence."

"We are certainly looking at it as a very tragic event that has occurred on this day," Campbell said.

"This was really unforeseen."

An incident centre has been set up at Mareeba police station during the investigation.

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