A woman has died in a rafting accident in a remote part of Tasmania’s southwest.

The 49-year-old woman from Tasmania’s south drowned on Thursday afternoon.

Initial investigations indicated her raft flipped in the rapids of the Franklin River.

Members of the rafting party attempted CPR on the woman, but she was unable to be revived.

The group of 12 were on a rafting trip in the Franklin River, deep in the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness Area.

Tasmania Police Search and Rescue officers, helicopter resources and paramedics retrieved the group near the Livingston Rivulet and the Coruscades rapid on the Franklin River on Friday.

No other members of the group, including the victim’s partner, suffered serious physical injuries.

Helicopters attempted to retrieve the group on Thursday afternoon but had to return Friday morning due to the challenging weather and limited visibility.

Much of the group’s camping gear, tents, tarps and clothing had been lost in the river on Thursday.

Tasmania Police Marine and Rescue Western Division Acting Inspector Russell Judges said the retrieval was a difficult operation due to the remote and rugged location.

“This is a tragic incident in what was planned as an adventure for a group of friends who shared a passion for the Tasmanian wilderness,” Judges said.

Police investigations are still ongoing, however, it is believed that the group of friends were experienced in the Tasmanian outdoors and had privately organised the trip as part of a 10-day rafting trip in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

The accident occurred on the fifth day of the trip.