Police are urgently combing through surveillance footage as they investigate a “horrific” stone-throwing incident on a tourist train which seriously injured a young boy.

The five-year-old boy, who had traveled from Japan with his family, was on board the Kuranda Scenic Railway on Saturday afternoon when the stone was thrown shortly before 4pm near an intersection in North Cairns.

The boy was taken to Cairns Hospital with serious injuries and then airlifted to Townsville Hospital on Sunday.

His condition is now stable, according to Townsville Hospital and Health Service.

Senior Constable Heidi Marek said the child’s injuries were “quite significant at the time” but the transfer was precautionary and he was “doing well”.

“Our detectives have been working hard all weekend reviewing CCTV cameras and trying to identify the suspects,” she said.

“They are making progress, but we are certainly appealing for help from members of the public… who may have been in that area of ​​Cairns North.

“We urge anyone to come forward.”

Senior Constable Marek said the boy was with his family, including his brother.

“It was certainly a horrible scene to happen to a five-year-old boy, so we worked extremely hard to try and resolve this over the weekend,” she said.

The stone was thrown near the intersection of James and Law streets, as the train approached its final destination in Cairns, on its way back from the rainforest village of Kuranda.

A Queensland Rail spokeswoman said authorities had been in contact with the boy’s family for updates following the incident.

Services on the Kuranda rail line continued as normal.