A British mother and son were fighting for life in Australia on Tuesday as details emerged of their dramatic rescue from a deadly landslide that killed two other family members.
The father, 49, and another son, nine, of the family who were on holiday from the UK died in the tragedy in the Blue Mountains 100 miles west of Sydney. They were hit by fallen rocks, according to reports.
A third child, 15, was able to alert emergency services who rescued her mother, 50, and brother, 14, who suffered severe head and abdominal injuries in the incident at Wentworth Pass.
The teenage girl raised the alarm in a frantic call to emergency services at around 1.30pm on Monday afternoon.
Double fatality; two others critically injured in landslip – Wentworth Fallshttps://t.co/DX1BDVoIMv
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) April 4, 2022
It was reported by media in Australia that the distraught teen told the emergency services operator: “I don’t know where we are.”
She later walked from the scene with emergency crews, which involved trekking for an hour-and-a-half along a hiking track.
Police said the girl was uninjured but “extremely distressed” and was later treated by paramedics for shock before being taken to hospital.
Her mother and brother had required sedation and intubation before being winched to safety and flown to hospital on Monday, paramedics said.
The bodies of the father and son were recovered by police on Tuesday and airlifted from the site some 100 miles west of Sydney.
Stewart Clarke, from New South Wales Ambulance, said the incident happened in an “extremely dangerous, extremely unstable environment”.
“It is terribly sad to have lost two lives here and my heart goes out to the families and the survivors of this horrific ordeal who have witnessed what is certainly a traumatic event,” Mr Clarke said, describing the situation as “heartbreaking”.
Wentworth Falls and valley of the Waters Precincts in Blue Mountains National Park are closed following a rockslide yesterday afternoon. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family and those affected by this tragedy. A full statement is available here:https://t.co/4qRILFp69x pic.twitter.com/D1jdQo4keZ
— DPE Environment and Heritage (inc NPWS) (@nswenviromedia) April 5, 2022
He said that all evidence collected so far points to the tragedy being “a freak accident”.
“Unfortunately there’s been a landslip while they’ve been bushwalking. It’s quite a tragic scene,” said Supt John Nelson from New South Wales Police.
The Blue Mountains, like much of Australia’s east coast, has been lashed by weeks of heavy rain.
New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet called the incident “tragic” and said he would be seeking advice as to whether the walking track should have been open given recent heavy rain.
Some walking tracks have been closed “due to flood damage and ongoing rockfall risk”, according to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
But a spokesman said the track at Wentworth Falls had recently been deemed safe.
“The walking track where this incident occurred was inspected in the days before the rockslide as part of a routine track assessment programme,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict and eliminate all natural risks such as rockslides, which can occasionally occur around the state.”
A British High Commission spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple and their children following an incident in the Blue Mountains.
“Our staff in Australia are in contact with local police.”
