Wgwre do u find the attack of steve iwiann killed by a stingray attack

The 44-year-old's heart is believed to have been pierced by the stingray's barb.

He was filming an underwater documentary at Batt Reef near the Low Isles about 32 nautical miles off Port Douglas when the accident occurred.

According to a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman, a Cairns ambulance chopper made an emergency flight to an island in the area just after 11am today.

An intensive care doctor and a paramedic attempted to treat the popular crocodile wrangler 鈥?who had a puncture wound in the left side of his chest - without success.

He was pronounced dead on the island, and his body is now being flown to Cairns.

Professor Geoff Jones, of James Cook University's Marine Biology Department, said he did not want not speculate on what Irwin was doing when struck by the stingray but that it must have been unusual.

He said it was possible the barb alone 鈥?regardless of the stingray's toxin - had been responsible for the death.

"It's a bit like being stabbed with a bayonet," he said. "If it stays in, you can survive, but if it's withdrawn, whipped in and out, then I don't think you can survive the bleeding."

Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".

He's also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.