Tag Archives: oceania

Eight injured as boat explodes on Hawkesbury River at Brooklyn

Eight people have suffered injuries, including four in a critical condition, after a boat exploded on the Hawkesbury River in Sydney's north on Sunday afternoon.

The vessel erupted in flames at a marina off Dangar Road at Brooklyn just after 5pm.

NSW Ambulance said 12 crews were dispatched to the scene along with a specialist medical team, a Toll Ambulance Rescue Helicopter and a Westpac Ambulance Rescue Helicopter.

Four patients were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition, two to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition, and two didn't require transportation.

Those injured suffered burns and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were involved in driving ambulances in order to free up paramedics to work on the patients as they were raced to hospital.

NSW Police provided escorts for the ambulances to help them through the heavy Easter weekend traffic.

The blaze was extinguished but the boat was destroyed and sunk in shallow waters.

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The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Man allegedly stabs, drives at brother in Melbourne

A man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his brother and trying to drive over him before carjacking a police vehicle and leading officers on a high-speed chase across Melbourne's north.

The 27-year-old Mickleham man faces more than 40 charges for the mayhem that began outside a Bells Avenue home about 10pm on Saturday.

He allegedly stabbed his 26-year-old brother and struck him with a car, leaving him fighting for life in hospital. The brother remained in a critical condition last night.

The pursuit ended when the alleged thief smashed into three unsuspecting motorists.

"(His brother) was screaming in agony," witness Jeddy Telescoure told 9News. 

"He was saying 'help' … he did hold my hand, I was just trying to keep him talking."

The father had been stabbed four times before being struck by the car. His young daughter and partner locked themselves inside.

"Officers approached the driver who allegedly advanced on them with a knife after a pursuit was initiated, he then crashed into a barrier on Mickleham Road, Mickleham," Victoria Police said.

A man is filmed skipping away from police after allegedly stabbing and running over his own brother.

"The man then allegedly stole the police vehicle before it collided at slow speed with several civilian vehicles on Barry Road.

"The driver then fled on foot but was arrested a short time later."

Video shows the man gripping a blood-covered knife as he is trailed by dogs and tactical police before appearing to skip and leap across the road.

"Thankfully no one else was killed or seriously injured as a result of it," Victoria Police Superintendent Nigel Howard said.

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He has been charged with more than 40 offences, including attempted murder, intentionally cause serious injury, assault, attempted aggravated burglary, dangerous driving causing serious injury, affray, aggravated carjacking, theft of motor vehicle, threaten to assault police officer and numerous traffic offences.

He has also been charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury and criminal damage by fire in relation to a separate incident in Mickleham on April 3 that has left a woman in hospital with serious injuries, police said.

He is set to face Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The man, believed to be holding a knife, ran across traffic.

Father killed in horror smash, partner and baby among injured

A father has been killed and six others injured, including a baby, in a horror smash north of Perth.

Jared Smith was killed when the Nissan X-trail he was driving collided with a Toyota Hilux on Cervantes Road.

The 41-year-old father-of-three had been on an Easter trip to Lancelin, leaving Cervantes yesterday afternoon.

Jared Smith is the ninth person to lose his life Indian Ocean Drive since 2018.Six others were injured, including a baby, in the horror smash north of Perth.

"He was a wonderful man who has left a massive hole in the lives of his friends, family, and those who knew him. Today we woke in a world where he no longer existed," Mr Smith's family said in a statement.

"Rest in peace, Jared. You will always be loved by us."

The smash saw four adults and two children flown to Perth hospitals. Among the injured is Mr Smith's partner and baby.

"It's a very sad reminder about the need to stay safe on our roads particularly on regional roads and there is a family now that is grieving over the loss of a loved one," Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner told 9News.

Mr Smith is the ninth person to lose his life on Indian Ocean Drive since 2018, sparking calls for the speed limit to be reduced on the stretch of road.

"We are the only town on this whole coast where it's 110 right the way through," Dandaragan Shire President Leslee Holmes told 9News.

"I think that's something we will have to engage with actively with main roads and local government to see if that's the appropriate response," Mr Warner added.

Three people from the crash remain at Royal Perth Hospital.

All are in a serious but stable condition.

Queensland health officials considering moving state's COVID-19 cases into one location

Queensland Health officials are considering moving all of the state's COVID-19 patients into one location to reduce the risk of transition across its hospitals.

The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital is the potential site for the high-care location.

"It is a central hospital that has managed the COVID virus very well," Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said.

"We'll still be using others outside the Brisbane area as well but we need to look at all options."

Queensland recorded no new local cases of COVID-19 today after 14,000 tests in the previous 24 hours.

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The state reported one new confirmed case in hotel quarantine, an Australian returned traveller from Pakistan who caught the virus overseas.

The zero cases come as around 400 front line health workers and their families are spending Easter weekend in isolation after two historical cases of COVID-19 sparked concern of an outbreak at a Brisbane hospital.

Staff from the Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital and their close contacts have been told to isolate immediately and wait for test results after health authorities expressed concern about a specific room at the hospital.

READ MORE: Woman in quarantine escaped from Brisbane hospital in the middle of the night

Anyone who worked in Ward 5D – the hospital's infectious diseases ward – between March 9 and March 28 have been told to immediately self-isolate while they await test results.

Their families and housemates have also been told to get tested immediately.

The warning comes after two nurses were found to have contracted the virus while working in the ward with infected COVID-19 patients.

Genomic sequencing confirmed both nurses had contracted the virus from a patient returned from India – however neither of the two cases came into direct contact with the patient prompting concern over how the virus was transmitted.

READ MORE: 'We're taking this very seriously': TGA launches investigation into blood clots

One of the new cases is linked to an infected nurse from Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Ms D'Ath said investigations were continuing into how transmission occurred however it was not related to any breach of PPE standards at the hospital.

"We know it happened under very unusual circumstances," she said.

The investigation will include inquiries into possible transmission through ventilation systems, Ms D'Ath said.

Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeanette Young, said that the two COVID-19 patients who infected hospital staff both stayed in the same room within Ward 5D of the hospital, one after the other.

READ MORE: One new local COVID-19 case in Queensland linked to known cases

"We think there could be a problem with that particular room or the environment around that room," Dr Young said.

No new coronavirus cases are being admitted to the PA Hospital while that investigation takes place.

Testing of hospital staff has also been increased, with all frontline staff working directly with COVID-19 patients to be tested at the start of every shift, in the same way as those working at quarantine hotels.

Man in intensive care with coronavirus in Adelaide

A man with COVID-19 has been rushed to hospital from a quarantine hotel in South Australia.

The patient, aged in his 40s, is in a critical condition in intensive care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

His condition declined while he was in hotel quarantine at the Tom's Court medi-hotel.

READ MORE: South Australia to immediately lift Queensland border restrictions

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He has the South African strain of the virus.

SA Health has told 9News all staff at the hospital who have been in contact with the patient have been fully vaccinated.

The man is the first person to be admitted to ICU with coronavirus in the state since May last year.

South Australia recorded one new case of COVID-19 today – a child who returned from overseas and has been in isolation since her arrival.

The state has vaccinated close to 30,000 people since the rollout began in February.