Four children have been killed and a fifth was left fighting for life after being hit by an alleged drink-driver in Australia.
The group, who are all believed to be under the age of 12, were riding their bikes to get ice cream when the four-wheeler hit them.
They were riding along a footpath in Oatlands, north-west Sydney, at around 8pm with a babysitter while their parents went out for dinner.
Four of the children died at the scene.
Local media reports state that the deceased includes two sisters, their brother and a family friend.
New South Wales Police later confirmed the 29-year-old driver had tested positive to a roadside breath test.
One boy, 10, suffered critical head injuries but has since been declared stable.
Two girls, 10 and 13 were also taken to hospital with non-life threatening inuries.
A spokesman said: "The driver of the 4WD was subjected to a roadside breath test and returned a positive result.
"He was arrested and taken to Castle Hill Police Station for a breath analysis.
"Officers from The Hills Police Area Command have established a crime scene, which will be examined by specialist police from the Metropolitan Crash Investigation Unit."
Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, a family friend said the father of the children has lost 'half of his six kids' in the incident.
They said: "I can't even comprehend it. He has six kids – he's lost half his family. They've lived here for years — (the father's) a builder — everyone around here knows him."
A neighbour added: "People ran over and were doing CPR until the paramedics got here. One woman was screaming out "Save them, save them"."
Andrew McAlpine, New South Wales Ambulance Inspector, said that officers had been confronted with "carnage".
He said: "(Paramedics) were confronted with carnage- a very difficult scene and a lot of chaos.
"This is an incredibly hard time for emergency services, notwithstanding the loss the the families have sustained."
The victims' families are believed to be members of the local Maronite Christian community.
'Tonight before you sleep we ask that you remember in your prayers a young Maronite family from our Parish who has been devastatingly affected by a serious accident,' the Living Maronite Facebook page posted.
'We keep them all in our prayers.'
Bettington Road, near Parramatta, remains closed as investigations into the crash continue.
