Two dead as car hits tree in Australia’s New South Wales

Sydney, Jan 20 (IANS/GURPUNEET SIDHU) Two people have died after a car hit a tree west of Sydney in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Tuesday morning.

The NSW Police Force said in a statement that emergency services were called to reports of the crash near the small town of Black Springs, 135 km west of Sydney, about 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Officers arrived at the scene and found that a male driver and female front-seat passenger, both believed to be aged in their 20s, had died at the scene after a sedan left the road and hit a tree.

A third occupant, a 50-year-old man who was a backseat passenger, was treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics for suspected leg injuries.

Police established a crime scene and have asked for anyone with information regarding the incident or dashcam footage to contact investigators.

Meanwhile, two people have been killed in a collision between a car and a train west of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria on Tuesday morning.

Emergency services were called to reports of a freight train hitting a car on a railway crossing near the small town of Cressy, 120 km west of Melbourne, on Tuesday morning.

Two occupants of the car, who have not yet been formally identified, died at the scene.

Local media reported that the freight train was carrying at least 60 carriages, and the only occupants were a driver and two staff members.

Helicopter footage from the scene broadcast by Seven Network television showed the wreckage of a white vehicle rolled on its side next to the train tracks.

A police statement said that the circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be established and are subject to an ongoing investigation.

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