K'GARI, Australia: Authorities at this Australian sand island were investigating whether dingoes had killed a Canadian woman found dead on the beach.

Two men called the police after they discovered the body of the 19-year-old woman on the beach at K'gari on January 19. Police said her body had been "interfered with" by native Australian dogs, better known as dingoes.

However, police said they would not speculate on the cause of death as yet. Her body had been discovered 90 minutes after she went for a morning swim on the world's largest sand island off the Queensland state coast.

Police were called to a beach near a shipwreck that tourists often visit at 6:35 a.m. The two men who discovered the body were driving an SUV on the beach when they saw about 10 dingoes near the woman's body, said Police Inspector Paul Algie. He said it was very shocking and upsetting for them to see.

Police found marks on the woman's body that suggest the dingoes had touched or disturbed it. A post-mortem will be done to find out the exact cause of death. Police said they cannot yet say whether the woman drowned or died because of a dingo attack.

The woman had been working at a tourist place on the island for about six weeks.

Three years ago, dingoes badly attacked a 23-year-old woman who was jogging. They chased her into the sea, but a tourist saved her by fighting off the animals. Police said that the man saved her life.

Since tourists returned in large numbers after COVID-19, younger dingoes have become bolder and less afraid of people.

Around 200 dingoes live freely on K'gari. They are a protected native species, and the beach is part of a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The island is now called K'gari, which means "Paradise" in the local Butchulla language. It was earlier known as Fraser Island.