Four dead, three injured in separate car crashes in Australia's New South Wales

Sydney, Nov 15

Four people have died and three others have been hospitalised with serious injuries following two separate car crashes in the eastern Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).

The NSW police force said on Sunday that the first accident occurred shortly before 7 pm (local time) on Saturday when two vehicles collided in the small town of Avoca, 100 km southwest of Sydney.

Both occupants of one of the vehicles, who have not been identified, died at the scene, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The 64-year-old female driver of the second vehicle and her passenger, a 65-year-old man, were treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Hours later, emergency services in NSW's far north were at 10:30 pm called to reports of a single-vehicle crash near the border with neighbouring Queensland and arrived to find a vehicle had left the road and struck a tree.

Two occupants, both believed to be aged in their 20s, were assisted by police before the arrival of ambulance crews, but died at the scene.

A third occupant, also aged in 20s, was taken to a Queensland hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Police established crime scenes at both crash sites and have commenced investigations.

On November 9, a man died and a woman was hospitalised with serious injuries after being struck by a car that crashed into a medical center in the Australian state of Queensland.

Queensland Police Service Chief Inspector Grant Marcus told reporters that a vehicle crashed into a medical centre in the city of Bundaberg, about 300 km north of Brisbane, shortly after 10 am (local time) on November 9, striking several people inside.

A 63-year-old man, who was in the waiting room when the vehicle crashed, sustained critical injuries and was declared dead a short time later, Xinhua News Agency reported.

His partner, a 63-year-old woman, was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Marcus said investigators were working to determine whether speed or a mechanical fault played a role in the crash, but that the incident did not appear to be deliberate.

He said the 71-year-old female driver had been taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered serious.

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