In An Australian Mountain Landslide, A British Father And His 9-Year-Old Kid Were Murdered
After a landslide in Australia, two members of a British family perished and two others were badly injured.
On Monday, a falling rock killed the guy, 49, and his nine-year-old son in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.
A 50-year-old woman and her 14-year-old son were both brought to the hospital with serious head and abdomen injuries. Her 15-year-old daughter was hospitalized for shock.
The family was on vacation in the popular tourist location when the accident occurred, according to authorities.
"Unfortunately, a landslide occurred while they were bushwalking. It's a terrible scene, to say the least "Supt John Nelson of the New South Wales Police Force remarked as much.
Paramedics claimed the mother and adolescent son needed sedation and intubation before being winched to safety and taken to the hospital on Monday.
According to officials, the juvenile girl was also transported to the hospital and was "very upset."
"We've concentrated on caring for her while her mother and brother receive the greatest medical treatment possible, and just trying to get that support for the young 15-year-old," Supt Nelson said.
The bodies of the man and son had to be recovered on Tuesday since the terrain was "very treacherous," according to authorities.
At this time, no information about the victims has been provided, including where they are from in the UK.
The Foreign Office said it was in contact with local authorities and was "offering consular support to the family of a British couple and their children following an incident in Australia."
The Blue Mountains, like all of Australia's east coast, have been battered by weeks of severe rain.
According to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website, certain walking trails have been blocked "due to flood damage and continued rockfall risk."
The track near Wentworth Falls, however, was recently deemed safe, according to a spokeswoman.
"The walking trail where this catastrophe occurred was assessed as part of a routine track inspection program in the days leading up to the rockslide," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.