A 4-year-old girl has died after a palm tree fell on her while she was playing in a backyard in Australia.
On Saturday, July 19, the Northern Territory Police Force shared in a statement that the little girl and an 11-year-old boy had been hurt at a home in Tiwi in the Australian city of Darwin.
“The Northern Territory Police Force are investigating after 4-year-old child died in Tiwi this afternoon,” the release read. “Around 1:55pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received a report that a 4-year-old female was struck by a falling palm tree at an address in Tiwi while playing in the yard.”
Authorities added, “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.”
“An 11-year-old male was also struck by the palm tree and suffered non-life-threatening injuries,” the statement continued. “The incident is not believed to be suspicious. Investigations are ongoing and a report will be prepared for the coroner.”
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), police previously said the girl who died was 7 years old but later confirmed she was 4.
The Northern Territory has previously experienced cases of falling trees causing death, per the outlet.
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In 2013, a council worker died after being struck by a palm tree.
“For a person to be in exactly the wrong spot at exactly the right time, is really rare,” arborist Ben Kenyon told ABC. “Quite often, it is a bit of a freak event.
“[My] thoughts go out to the family for sure — it’s tragic,” he said.
He added, “A fungi getting into the trunk of a tree in the Top End [area] can kill it within three to 12 months — a very similar fungi in a similar tree in the southern states may take five to 10 years.”
Kenyon continued, “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.”
