Police discovered harrowing scenes when they were called to a stabbing to find two men dead on a bloody street after a fight in a small town Queensland’s north.

October 1, 2018

Locals including children were confronted by horrific and bloody scenes in the dead of night as first responders tried in vain to save two men who had been fatally stabbed in a north Queensland town.

The men, 27 and 37, died at the side of a street after a fight broke out between a group of people in the small coastal town of Alva, south of Townsville, about 12.30am on Monday.

A local of 30 years, Brett Ward, was shocked and angered by the confronting crime scene that unfolded in front of his beachside home.

“When you wake up and your daughter asks ‘is that a body bag on the side of the road’ … I feel bloody terrible mate,” he told AAP on Monday.

“We live in a nice quiet area and when something like this happens it’s just f***ing disgusting.”

Mr Ward said although he knew some of the people involved, he doesn’t know what caused the deadly brawl.

“But it’s not looking like a nice scenario,” he said.

Earlier Detective Inspector Chris Lawson described how police found the men lying in pools of blood.

“It was a horrific scene to arrive there and find two people,” he told reporters on Monday.

“You are talking about the dead of night where it’s dark, people with those sorts of injuries in the middle of the street.

“It’s something that will obviously affect those who had to go there and provide first-aid.

“It’s harrowing.”

Police believe the fight broke out after a woman, 29, went to a home in Topton Street, followed shortly after by a group of men.

“We are trying to nail down exactly what has occurred and to do that, we need to speak to witnesses and establish how the events have unfolded throughout the night,” he said.

The woman was hospitalised in Townsville with a non-life threatening shoulder injury and a man has been arrested.

One of the dead men was from the Alva area, while the other was not, Det Insp Lawson said.

A local dive shop worker, who did not want to be named, said the small beachside town of around 250 people was in shock.

“It’s still pretty fresh, it sounds pretty awful,” she said.

“It’s a very small residential community here, most of the locals have lived here quite a while and no one is talking about it.”