A 37-year-old man has died after being struck by an airborne gas bottle during severe storms that swept through Sydney and coastal New South Wales on Tuesday night. The incident occurred around midnight in Harrington Street, The Rocks, when the 9kg gas bottle, believed to have been blown from a nearby apartment balcony, struck the man. Despite CPR at the scene and being rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
NSW Ambulance superintendent Kath Rallings described the event as a 'freak accident' and urged the public not to underestimate the wild weather. Police have established a crime scene and are appealing for witnesses. The storms, which brought damaging winds of up to 110km/h at North Head, also caused widespread power outages, affecting 72,000 Ausgrid customers and 24,000 Endeavour Energy customers, with 270 electrical hazards reported.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that thunderstorms would continue into Wednesday morning in central NSW before moving northeast. Transport disruptions were reported on the North Shore line due to a fallen tree at Pymble, and lift outages at several stations. The NSW SES responded to 600 jobs since 9pm Tuesday, mainly for downed trees and branches.
Cooler conditions are expected as a cold front moves through, with temperatures dropping below 20°C in southern NSW. Gale and strong wind warnings are in place for several coastal areas, and hazardous surf warnings have been issued for the Illawarra, Batemans, and Eden coasts, with authorities advising against entering the water.
