Latest news with #St John Ambulance
ABC News
21-07-2025
- ABC News
Falling palm tree kills four-year-old girl in tragic 'freak event' at Darwin
A falling palm tree has struck and killed a four-year-old girl playing in a Darwin backyard, in what's been described as "a freak" accident. In a statement, NT Police said emergency services were called to the Tiwi yard about 1:55pm on Saturday afternoon. They tried to take the girl to a nearby hospital for treatment, but she could not be saved. "Police and St John Ambulance attended the scene, and the victim was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital; however, she was pronounced deceased prior to arrival," the statement said. The tree also struck an 11-year-old boy, but police said his injuries were "non-life-threatening". NT police on Saturday had said the girl who died was seven years old, but on Monday confirmed she was four years old. Police said its investigations were "ongoing", but they did not believe the incident to be suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner. A number of tree-related deaths have been recorded in the NT over time. Almost two years ago, a falling tree branch at Darwin's botanic gardens struck and killed a South African woman as she was walking with her partner. In 2013, a falling palm tree south of Darwin struck and killed a Coomalie Council worker at Batchelor. NT-born arborist Ben Kenyon said, although the exact circumstances that caused the tree to fall in this incident were unclear, it was a tragedy. "Quite often, it is a bit of a freak event. "[My] thoughts go out to the family for sure — it's tragic." Mr Kenyon, who runs an arboriculture business in Melbourne but frequently visits the NT, said it was important to monitor and maintain backyard trees, particularly in tropical areas such as the Top End. "A fungi getting into the trunk of a tree in the Top End can kill it within 3-12 months — a very similar fungi in a similar tree in the southern states may take 5-10 years," he said. "It's just far, far quicker with the growth rates that you have and the humidity and the style of tree that you have in the Top End."
ABC News
20-07-2025
- ABC News
Falling palm tree kills seven-year-old girl in Darwin suburb of Tiwi
A falling palm tree has struck and killed a seven-year-old girl playing in a backyard in the Darwin suburb of Tiwi. In a statement, NT Police said emergency services were called to the yard about 1:55pm on Saturday afternoon. They tried to take the girl to a nearby hospital for treatment, but she could not be saved. "Police and St John Ambulance attended the scene, and the victim was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital; however, she was pronounced deceased prior to arrival," the statement said. The tree also struck an 11-year-old boy, but police said his injuries were "non-life-threatening". NT Police said its investigations were "ongoing", but they did not believe the incident to be suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
