One death and multiple injuries after freak Sydney mini tornado
A woman has died and many others have been left injured after a brief freak storm ripped through Sydney's Northern Beaches on Sunday afternoon.
Police have confirmed that a woman in her 70s lost her life due to a fallen tree, while another woman in her late 70s and a woman in her teens have been critically injured from debris.
“Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command along with NSW Ambulance paramedics, Fire & Rescue NSW, and the Westpac helicopter responded to a carpark on Ocean Street, Narrabeen, after reports a tree and powerlines had come down,” police said in a statement.
“One person was declared deceased, while two others were critically injured and transported to Royal North Shore Hospital."
“The area is still considered hazardous, and members of the public are advised to avoid the area."
Fire and Rescue NSW said fallen trees have taken out powerlines across suburbs from Forestville to Mona Vale, leaving more than 25,000 people without electricity.
In Dee Why, an air-conditioning unit was ripped out of a building and sent flying through the streets below.
Meanwhile, metal sheeting was pulled off an apartment building roof and smashed into parked cars.
Mackellar MP Jason Falinski described the damage from the storm as a “mini tornado”, as he shared pictures of the chaos on Twitter.
He said, “Emergency services and Ausgrid are rapidly responding across the LGA, with widespread power outages from Curl Curl to Palm Beach."
“Our hearts go out to those negatively impacted, and we will do everything we can to ensure the recovery is swift and full.”
Throughout the storm, over 400 calls were made to the SES for help, with that number expected to rise as the massive clean-up effort begins.
Image credits: Twitter @JasonFalinksiMP