Young boy killed in horror incident as wild weather wreaks havoc

A young boy was with family in rural Victoria when the large branch fell, killing the six-year-old.

A boy has been killed in a freak incident in Victoria. Picture : NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

A young boy has died after he was struck by a large tree branch on a rural property during wild weather.

The six-year-old was with family at a private property off Bells Road in Gowangardie, near Shepparton in Victoria’s north when he was found critically injured just after 8am Thursday.

The boy died at the scene.

In a statement, police said the boy was fatally injured when a large branch fell from a tree and hit him during a storm.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the death of a child who was struck by a falling tree branch.

Wild weather has wreaked havoc across Australia’s east during the holiday period.

Thursday’s tragedy has come just two days after a man was killed by a falling branch at his Caringal property, about four hours south of Gowangardie.

Victoria Police said the 44-year-old Bunyip man died at the scene.

Floodwaters have swept across eastern Victoria, killing a man and woman at a campground in Buchan on Boxing Day.

The pair were camping together at the Cave Rd campground when they were swept away.

A Gold Coast woman was also killed by a falling tree on Christmas night.

Two people died at a Buchan campground after flash flooding swept through. Picture: 9 News

Robyn Carman, 59, was just 100m from her home when she was struck and fatally injured.

A nine-year-old girl is another young victim of the wild storms, killed on Boxing Day when she was swept into a drain by floodwaters in Brisbane.

Mia Holland-McCormack had jumped over the back fence of her family’s property in Rochedale South when she was killed.

Meanwhile, Brisbane Rugby identity David ‘Mario’ Logan and schoolteacher Stephen ‘Taity’ Tait were killed in after a boat with 11 people capsized near Green Island in Moreton Bay on Tuesday.

Another 59-year-old man was killed following the accident, with eight people surviving.

Two female hikers were also killed when they were swept into the Murray River near Gympie.