A British dad and son were crushed to death when a landslide fell on a family-of-five in Australia.
Two more people in the same family are fighting are for their lives after a landslide struck at a popular walking track in the Blue Mountains on Monday afternoon.
Emergency services raced to the scene at about 1.40pm local time following reports a landslide had fallen onto a group of bushwalkers on the Wentworth Pass track at Wentworth Falls near Sydney.
The dad, aged 49, and nine-year-old son were killed, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The mum, 50, and the other son, 14, are in hospital with critical injuries.
The couple's 15-year-old daughter miraculously walked away unharmed and is currently being treated for shock.
The family were on holiday from the UK when tragedy struck, police said.
They were found about a 90-minute walk from the nearest car park, authorities said.
NSW Police Detective Acting Superintendent John Nelson described today as “a tragic scene”.
He said: "Our rescuers [are] working under quite arduous conditions.
“A girl is walking out at the moment, who is obviously clearly [and] extremely distressed.”
Police helicopters, local officers and a specialist rescue team were sent to the remote location in dense bushland.
A rescue helicopter saved the mother and son at about 6pm on Monday, authorities said.
NSW Ambulance Superintendent Stewart Clarke said: "The patients have significant head and abdominal injuries, requiring sedation and intubation prior to them being extricated."
He described the terrain as an “extremely dangerous, extremely unstable environment” for paramedics to work in.
He said: "[It is] exceptionally confronting and heartbreaking, especially when you start involving children.
Seven ambulance road crews and two air crews were deployed to the scene.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service website said that part of the track was closed “due to flood damage and ongoing rockfall risk”.
The park of the track that the family was in was open, Mr Nelson said.
