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 spokesperson 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 on 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 critically injured 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 15-year-old girl from the same family survived and left the scene on foot, accompanied by emergency services, said officers from New South Wales Police Force. She is being treated for shock.
Mr Nelson described the 15-year-old as "extremely distressed".
'Heartbreaking'
Stuart Clarke, the New South Wales ambulance superintendent, described the situation as “heartbreaking”.
The British Consulate said it was assisting in the matter.
The landslip follows weeks of wet weather in Sydney. The Blue Mountains attract four million tourists a year, the most of any national park in Australia.
The area was extremely dangerous and unstable for rescuers, said Detective Superintendent John Nelson, from the Blue Mountains area command.
