Two children rushed to hospital after tree falls in ‘serious incident' at Southend park
TWO children have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a tree fell in a popular park.
Essex Police scrambled to the scene just before 3pm and asked the public to avoid the area.
The kids were hurt while in Chalkwell Park in Southend -on-Sea.
An eyewitness said a "massive branch" fell off a tree near the rose garden.
Cops said in a statement on Facebook: "We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Chalkwell Park.
"Officers, alongside ambulance and fire service colleagues, are responding.
"We were alerted shortly before 3pm to reports of a tree falling in the park.
"There have been a number of casualties and our work at the scene is ongoing.
"We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues."
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers review – finally, Netflix makes a great, serious documentary
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Our 12-year-old son died while trying a trend he saw online... social media is to blame and someone needs to be held responsible
The heartbroken parents of a schoolboy feared to have died copying a notorious online craze have lashed out at social media firms for putting deadly viral trends in children's feeds. Sebastian Cizman, 12, was found unresponsive at his family's home in Glasshoughton, West Yorkshire, during his younger brother's First Holy Communion celebrations. He is believed to have been imitating a challenge that encourages youngsters to choke themselves until they pass out, and which has been linked to multiple child deaths around the world. Health experts have warned it can cause permanent brain damage or death in under five minutes. Sebastian was discovered with a sheet around his neck, lying motionless on the stairs of the family's terraced home on Friday evening. Despite desperate efforts by paramedics to revive him, he was tragically pronounced dead at hospital. Now his heartbroken parents have spoken out to urge other families to wake up to the dangers lurking on their children's phones. 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'So Marcin asked "where's Sebastian?". His cousin said they were tired from jumping on the trampoline and that he went upstairs for a rest. 'He told them to go and fetch him, and they came back after a few seconds and said "I don't know if Sebastian's joking or not, but he's lying on the stairs". 'We ran upstairs and found him. He had taken a sheet from the duvet, which wrapped around his neck but not tightly. 'We called for an ambulance straight away and started to resuscitate him. We didn't stop until the paramedics arrived.' Sebastian, a self-taught classical pianist, was able to access social media despite platforms requiring their users to be at least 13 years old. Sebastian had no history of self-harm, and his parents say he would never knowingly risk his life. Marcin said: 'He was able to sign up for them with no questions asked. He was smart enough to do it. Smart enough to wriggle around it.' Sebastian, a self-taught classical pianist, was able to access social media despite platforms requiring their users to be at least 13 years old Sebastian had no history of self-harm, and his parents say he would never knowingly risk his life Sebastian was found fatally injured on a staircase at the family's end-of-terraced home during an 'absolutely happy' day with his family and cousins from Poland for the communion of younger brother Mike, nine 'Most of his friends have accounts. There are children in primary schools with them. How can that be?' added Kasia. Authorities are continuing their enquiries to establish the full circumstances of Sebastian's death. His phone is set to be examined by police as part of the investigation. A GoFundMe appeal has been raised to help the family raise funds to transport Sebastian to Poland for his burial. The statement on the fundraiser describes the teenager as 'a boy full of dreams, passion, and incredible talent'. It added: 'Sebastian lost his life because of an online challenge. His parents gave him all the love and care in the world - but that one moment online changed everything. 'So today, we ask you - as parents, guardians, friends: Talk to your children about what they do online.' The family, who had moved from Krakow when he was aged one, had planned to return to the country next year. Marcin said: 'We were preparing everything to go back to Poland, to Krakow. A GoFundMe appeal has been raised to help the family raise funds to transport Sebastian to Poland for his burial The statement on the fundraiser describes the teenager as 'a boy full of dreams, passion, and incredible talent' 'Sebastian lost his life because of an online challenge. His parents gave him all the love and care in the world - but that one moment online changed everything,' the statement continued 'Now, we have to bring him in a coffin to the place where he dreamed to live.' 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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Clubber from Newcastle reported missing a week ago by his girlfriend is found in a Cambodian jail arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling
A British man has been arrested in Cambodia after allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly 20kg of marijuana into the UK - just hours after he was reported missing by his girlfriend. Robert Brown, 41, from Newcastle, had been the subject of an urgent missing persons post on social media before he was arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport on June 17. Police found 22 packages of cannabis weighing nearly 20kg hidden inside his luggage. The drugs, which police believe originated from Thailand, are thought to have a street value of around £200,000. Brown has been charged with the use, possession, trafficking, and transport of drugs under Cambodian law and has been referred to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for legal proceedings. If convicted, he could face a hefty prison sentence of between 20 to 30 years, Khmer Times reported. Shortly after his arrest, the Anti-Drug Department in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, posted a statement on social media confirming a British male aged 41 had been arrested, while police had 'seized 22 pieces of dry marijuana, equivalent to 19 kg 902 grams.' It added that the Ministry of Anti-Narcotics 'states that trading, transportation, storage and growing of marijuana in Cambodia is illegal as provided in the Drug Control Act 2012.' The post included an image of Brown, with his face blurred out and apparently handcuffed, next to the massive haul of drugs allegedly found in his suitcase. His arrest came just hours after a post, which has since been removed, was shared on a social media group for expats in Cambodia reporting him as 'missing'. Posted by user 'Kasey Kasey', the appeal stated Brown had failed to board his flight home to the UK. It also revealed his luggage had been left inside his hotel room in central Phnom Penh, in Cambodia's capital city. The post read: 'Missing in Cambodia. Goes by the name of Robert Brown, he's 40 years of age, Geordie lad, broad accent. 'Was meant to return to the UK today, but didn't board a plane and has left his luggage in the hotel room. 'Please share and hopefully he's found thanks. He was staying at the Old Durbar Hotel Restaurant.' Posts on Brown's social media profile reveal the Newcastle native is a fan of electronic dance music and clubbing. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told MailOnline: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who was detained in Cambodia and are in contact with the local authorities'. The arrest is the latest in a spate of incidents involving Brits being detained abroad on charges of alleged drug smuggling. Earlier this month, airport officials in Mauritius swooped on seven British citizens - including a six-year-old boy - who were found to have £1.6million worth of cannabis concealed in their suitcases. Customs officials at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport were stunned to discover 14 kilos of cannabis concealed in the young boy's bag and 17 kilos in luggage belonging to another individual on June 22. Altogether, 161 kilos of the drug were found hidden throughout several other suitcases. Eleven numbered Apple AirTags were discovered, suggesting the operation may have been linked to an organised crime gang responsible for smuggling drugs from Europe to Mauritius. The six arrested British adults - all from Cambridgeshire - included Laura Kappen, 28, a bar worker from Orton Goldhay, Shannon Holness, 29, a caterer, from Bretton, Shona Campbell, 33, a cleaner from Standground, Lily Watson, a caterer from Peterborough and window fitter Patrick Wilsdon, 21, also from Peterborough. Romanian national, Florian Lisman, 38, a machine operator living in Huntingdon, was additionally arrested. Charlotte Lee May, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, has been locked up in a Sri Lankan prison after police discovered 46kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase when she arrived on a flight from Thailand In recent weeks, 18-year-old Bella Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, was arrested in Georgia after allegedly carrying 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish into the ex-Soviet nation from Thailand, where she had been holidaying. She claimed in court that she is pregnant and has confided in legal sources that she was in love with a mystery man who now forms a central part of the investigation. In a similar case, 21-year-old Charlotte Lee May, from Coulsdon, south London, has been locked up in a Sri Lankan prison after police discovered 46kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. The former cabin crew member for Tui was placed in handcuff after £1.15million worth of cannabis was allegedly found in her luggage last month. She is being detained in a prison north of Colombo and could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. A flurry of cases have since followed including OnlyFans model Clara Wilson, 36, from Nottinghamshire, who allegedly tried to smuggle around £200,000 of Thai cannabis into Spain and 21-year-old Cameron Bradford, from Hertfordshire, who was arrested for allegedly smuggling cannabis into Germany. Meanwhile, British beautician Kimberly Hall, 29, from Middlesbrough, was accused of attempting to smuggle $6.2m of cocaine from Chicago O' Hare Airport to the UK, having come off a flight from Cancun, Mexico. Many of the alleged smugglers face decades in prison if convicted. Phineas Float, Jonathan Collyer and Lisa Stocker were formerly facing the death penalty over allegedly smuggling cocaine from the UK to Indonesia, but prosecutors last week said they would now be seeking a prison term instead. And 79-year-old William 'Billy Boy' Eastment, a bowls-loving pensioner from Somerset, faces dying behind prison bars after he was intercepted at Santiago Airport with £200,000 worth of meth.
