A child has died and four others have been seriously injured in Melbourne after a car crashed through a primary school fence.
Victoria Police said on Tuesday afternoon that emergency services were called after a single-vehicle crash in the suburb of Hawthorn East.
The car veered off the road at around 2.30pm and crashed through the fence at Auburn South Primary School, into a table where five children were seated, police said.
An 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital with critical injuries where he later died.
Two girls aged 11 years old, one 10-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy were all taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The driver was arrested at the scene and is currently in custody. She will be interviewed by police. No charges have been laid.
Victoria Police inspector Craig McEvoy said it was a “tragic incident”. Source: AAP / Joel Carrett
Inspector Craig McEvoy said after driving to collect her child, the woman had performed a U-turn and collided with the fence.
“It appears it is a tragic accident,” McEvoy told reporters at the scene. The woman and her child were not injured.
The Department of Education said in a statement that it was working closely with the school’s staff, students, and parents to support them.
Premier says ‘dark shadow’ cast over state
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she was sending “love and thoughts to the students, their families and the whole school community” while thanking first responders on the scene.
“Today should’ve been an unremarkable sunny Tuesday for the Auburn South Primary School community. Instead, a dark shadow has been cast over our city and state,” Allan wrote in a post on social media platform X.
“I know tonight Victorians will be thinking of Auburn South Primary, and holding our kids even closer.”
