31 December 2023 , 14:05
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Two children have died after they were found floating in a river near people celebrating New Year's Eve.
The boy and the girl, both confirmed to be under the age of 10, were tragically discovered in the Swan River in Perth, Australia after being spotted by members of the public as one man jumped in to try and save them and an off-duty nurse performed CPR at the scene.
The children were taken to Perth Children's Hospital in a critical condition but later passed away. The horror incident unfolded just yards away from a children's playground near Perth Stadium, a popular spot for new year's celebrations.
The children were taken to Perth Children's Hospital in a critical condition but later passed away (7News/Twitter)Local reports said the children were both aged seven and from different families. Describing the emergency response, one eyewitness who was marking New Year's Eve with his family at the time told ABC News: "He's just rushed over, jumped in, pulled them out of the water. There was a woman who said she was a nurse. She came over and started doing CPR. From that moment everyone was just gathered around. There was a lot of panic and chaos."
He then described how one of the children's mum's rushed over as a crowd gathered during the resuscitation attempt, before she "dropped on the floor" and passed out. WA Police said the children were taken from the water by members of the public, but were no longer responsive by the time officers arrived at the scene. A report will now be prepared for the coroner.
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