Our Bureau
Melbourne
5 Indians, including 2 children aged 9 and 11, were killed and several others injured after a car driven by an elderly man ploughed into the beer garden of a pub in the Australian state of Victoria, as per the police.
Vivek Bhatia (38), his son Vihan (11), Pratibha Sharma (44), her daughter, Anvi (nine), and partner Jatin Chugh (30) died after an SUV mounted a kerb and hit patrons on the front lawn of the Royal Daylesford hotel on Sunday evening.
5 other people, including Bhatia’s wife, Ruchi (36), younger son Abeer (six), and an 11-month-old child, are in hospital being treated for injuries.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the victims were all visitors to the area, and described the incident as “an absolute tragedy.”
Patton said the driver of the white BMW, a 66-year-old man from Mount Macedon, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where he was breath tested and did not have alcohol in his system. As per him, it was too early to determine if speed was a factor in the fatal crash.
Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on X: “We are all shocked by what happened in Daylesford, and so deeply saddened for those whose lives were so cruelly cut short, and for those who can never be the same again. The hearts of all Australians go out to everyone affected, including loved ones, friends, first responders, and the Daylesford community.”
