Two people have died and two others are fighting for life after a landslide on a walking track in the Blue Mountains, about 100km from Sydney.
Emergency services were called about 1.30pm after reports of the accident involving a group of five walkers on a track near Wentworth Falls.
NSW police acting superintendent John Nelson said a man and a boy died at the scene of the accident. A woman and a boy were in a critical condition, and a girl was walking out from the site with the assistance of authorities, he said.
Nelson described the accident as tragic and said the girl was extremely distressed.
NSW ambulance acting chief superintendent Stewart Clarke said the two critically injured patients had suffered significant head and abdominal injuries. They would be sedated and intubated before being winched to a helicopter and flown to hospital, he said.
The scene that had confronted paramedics was “exceptionally confronting and heartbreaking”, he said, especially as it involved children. The girl had been uninjured but would be assessed again by paramedics and offered pastoral care once she returned to Wentworth Falls.
“This is absolutely heartbreaking for all involved and a truly tragic ending to what I’m sure was meant to be a pleasant day out,” Clarke said.
“It is terribly sad to have lost two lives here today and my heart goes out to the families and the survivors of this horrific ordeal who have witnessed what is certainly a traumatic event.
“This was a really complex and delicate rescue operation for our crews who were working to access patients in rugged bushland and were navigating unstable ground.”
Nelson said the site was incredibly dangerous and unstable after the accident but conditions in general had been favourable for walking on Monday and the track had been open, despite recent flooding in the area.
“Obviously there’s been a major weather event – I can’t comment on the condition of this walking track.”
Nelson said the ages of those involved in the accident, and whether or not they were locals, had not been confirmed.
