Wentworth Falls landslide: British dad and son killed, two injured in Blue Mountains

Two bodies have been recovered from Wentworth Falls this morning after a father and son were killed in a landslide accident on Monday.

Two bodies have been recovered from Wentworth Falls this morning after a father and son were killed in a landslide accident on Monday.

The nine-year-old boy and 49-year-old father died while the man’s wife and another son were seriously injured in the landslip near Wentworth Pass.

At about 9.20 on Tuesday morning a rescue helicopter winched the first body from bushland, near Wentworth Pass, and 10 minutes later were seen recovering a second, smaller body from the same area.

The British family of five were hiking in the Blue Mountains when the freak landslip occurred about 1.40pm.

A fifth hiker, a 15-year-old girl, was not injured and was able to walk from the scene.

Police confirmed the group were British nationals on holiday in Australia, and the British consulate is now assisting with the incident.

Police recover one of the bodies today. Picture John Grainger

Police mounted a complex operation to retrieve the bodies. Picture John Grainger

Police and air ambulance undertook a major rescue operation. Picture: 7 News

Police at the scene on Monday afternoon. Picture: 7 News

Blue Mountains police are investigating further, and a report will be filed for the coroner on the deaths of the man and boy.

The family’s hike through the Blue Mountains turned to tragedy when a freak landslide crushed a man and a boy to death, leaving a woman and a second boy fighting for life – as a distraught teenage girl was forced to call Triple-0 for help, telling the operator: “I don’t know where we are”.

The walking trail has been closed off by police. Picture: John Grainger

Police returned to the site on Tuesday morning to recover the bodies of a father and son. Picture: John Grainger

Rescue crews worked late into the night on Monday to winch the woman and boy to safety from the canopy below the Wentworth Falls walking track, before returning to complete the grim task of recovering the two bodies.

The teenage girl who was in the group when the landslip occurred somehow managed to escape uninjured, and after being checked by paramedics had to make the hour-and-a-half hike back along the hiking track.

NSW Police Detective Acting Superintendent John Nelson speaking as an operation is underway near the Conservation Hut at Wentworth Falls. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The landslip occurred near Wentworth Pass on Monday afternoon.

NSW Police Detective Acting Superintendent Nelson said the scene remained “extremely dangerous”.

“Unfortunately there’s been a landslip while they were bushwalking and a man and a boy have passed away,” Det Act Supt Nelson said.

“In terms of the site, it’s extremely dangerous and unstable.

“Two other patients are critical, with head and abdominal injuries, requiring sedation before extraction.”

After a delicate operation to winch the woman out from beneath the trees on the cliffside, she was flown by air ambulance to Westmead Hospital.

The boy was also flown to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

The horrific incident comes after weeks of heavy rain across NSW which had left much of the ground in the Blue Mountains damp.

A number of other popular walking tracks right across the tourist hotspot were closed, as workers from the National Parks and councils spent time fixing them up.

However the Wentworth Falls track remained open – making it a hot spot for adventurers wanting to make the most of Monday’s hot weather.

Emergency services at the scene. Picture: 7 News

A number of walkers on the track are understood to have helped rescue workers as they came across the shocking scene.

NSW Ambulance acting chief superintendent Stewart Clarke said the accident was simply “heartbreaking”, and told how rescuers had to deal with challenging conditions – including thick undergrowth – throughout the afternoon and night.

“This is absolutely heartbreaking for all involved and a truly tragic ending to what I’m sure was meant to be a pleasant day out,” Mr Clarke said.

“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.”

“This was a really complex and delicate rescue operation for our crews who were working to access patients in rugged bushland and were navigating unstable ground.”

Blue Mountains City Council Mayor Mark Greenhill said the “entire” region was feeling the impact of the tragedy already.

“Whether resident here or not, those who come within our beautiful Blue Mountains are taken to our hearts,” Mr Greenhill wrote online.

“Moments like this cause pain and grief to our entire Blue Mountains family.”

He thanked emergency services involved in the rescue effort for their “bravery and compassion”.