Man is killed by a falling tree branch as thunderstorms and heavy rain strike Victoria
A man has died after a falling tree branch crushed his vehicle at a campsite during a severe storm in northern Victoria.
Emergency services responded to the incident at the Loop Track campsite at 7.10pm on Tuesday, with police confirming that ‘a large tree branch had fallen onto a moving vehicle during a significant weather event’.
A teenage boy and a woman in her 50s were also injured and both were taken to Northeast Health Wangaratta to be treated for upper body injuries.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson confirmed the woman was in ‘a serious but stable condition’, while the boy’s condition was described as ‘stable’.
The man’s identity has yet to be confirmed, as have the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Yarrawonga on Tuesday evening, urging residents to ‘shelter indoors immediately’.
The fallen tree was one of 30 trees reported to Victoria’s State Emergency Service overnight as storms caused widespread damage across the state.
Part of northwestern Victoria received unusually heavy rainfall early this week as a trough moved down from northern Australia.
The incident took place at the Loop Track campsite in Yarrawonga (map pictured)
A man has died after a falling tree branch crushed his vehicle at a campsite during a freak storm (photo, storm damage in Queensland)
Weather Zone meteorologist Anthony Sharwood said northeastern parts of Victoria and the High Country were “in line for a good dip.”
Victoria is in for a hot and humid day on Wednesday, with heavy thunderstorms forecast in the central and eastern parts of the state.
Storms are also forecast for Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Albury-Wodonga and the Latrobe Valley.
A severe weather warning for damaging winds is in effect for the state’s northeastern alpine areas, with wind speeds expected to reach 70 mph on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, temperatures in parts of NSW are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius as the state sweats under a sticky heatwave on Wednesday.
Millions of Australians have been warned that more power outages are likely as an ongoing heatwave pushes electricity demand to the highest level since June.