The bodies of a British father and son killed in a landslide in Australia’s Blue Mountains have been retrieved by police. A New South Wales Police spokesman confirmed to the PA news agency that the bodies of the 49-year-old man and his nine-year-old son were winched out by PolAir around 9.30am today (Tuesday).
Five members of the same family were caught in the landslide on Monday while on holiday in Australia. Speaking to radio station 2GB, Blue Mountains Area Command acting superintendent John Nelson said emergency services were focused on caring for the two surviving members of the family who were caught in the landslide.
He said the 50-year-old woman and 14-year-old boy were in a critical condition at Westmead Hospital in Sydney. They were taken to hospital with significant head and abdominal injuries following the incident on the walking track, which was reported to emergency services at around 1.40pm local time on Monday.
The nine-year-old and his father died at the scene at Wentworth Pass in the Blue Mountains, some 100 miles west of Sydney, New South Wales police said. A fifth member of the same family, a 15-year-old girl, was treated for shock. Mr Nelson described the girl as “extremely distressed”.
Stewart Clarke, from NSW Ambulance, said the incident happened in an “extremely dangerous, extremely unstable environment”. “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,” Mr Clarke told media on Monday, describing the situation as “heartbreaking”.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “We are providing consular support to the family of a British couple and their children following an incident in Australia. We are in contact with the local authorities.”
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