In a tragic incident in Gellibrand, western Victoria, fierce winds resulted in the death of a man and left a woman in critical condition after a tree crushed their car on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite the swift response from emergency services, the male driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the female passenger was airlifted to hospital in serious condition.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of severe weather impacting southern Australia, with over 1,000 emergency call-outs reported across several states.
The Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) has been particularly overwhelmed, addressing more than 1,000 requests for help in the past 24 hours, predominantly related to fallen trees.
SES Chief Operations Officer Tim Wiebusch highlighted the intense efforts by volunteers and emergency personnel to clear debris and restore safety.
A tragic accident in Victoria as fierce winds toppled a tree onto a car.Wild weather conditions, including strong winter gales, have affected Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
In Victoria, wind gusts reached up to 135 km/h in Wilsons Promontory and 128 km/h at Mount Buller. The Bureau of Meteorology anticipates a temporary easing of conditions on Wednesday night but warns that winter gales may continue into early spring.
In New South Wales, damaging gusts exceeding 110 km/h have been reported, impacting regions such as the Illawarra, Snowy Mountains, and parts of Sydney. The state’s Rural Fire Service is actively responding to 27 fires statewide amid the high fire danger caused by the unseasonably warm and windy weather.
Western Australia’s south and south-west coasts are also experiencing severe weather, with a “Prepare Now” alert issued by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
High tides and dangerous surf conditions are predicted to continue affecting coastal areas, potentially leading to flooding in some locations.
Efforts are ongoing to restore power to approximately 15,000 customers affected by outages caused by the severe winds, with both Powercor and AusNet working tirelessly to address the widespread disruptions.