Two children dead after pram hit by car in Sydney despite ‘phenomenal’ bystander efforts to save them

Two children in a pram have been struck and killed by a car in Sydney’s south-west.

Emergency services were called to the intersection of Joseph and Gilbert streets, Cabramatta at about 3.15pm on Wednesday after reports of a crash, New South Wales police said.

Officers found two children, aged one and five, had been struck by a car while both seated in a pram.

NSW ambulance paramedics treated the children at the scene before they were taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Authorities confirmed the children later died. They were yet to be formally identified.

A number of witnesses tried to rescue the children but were unsuccessful, acting Superintendent Timothy Calman said.

“The community involved here this afternoon was, I can only say, phenomenal,” he told reporters.

“We’ve had a number of motorists that actually stopped and collectively have moved the vehicle onto its side, tipped the car over in order to get one of the children from underneath the vehicle, and other bystanders have assisted with CPR.”

A 33-year-old woman, who police say was known to the children, was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Police were unable to provide further information on whether the pram was on the footpath, a pedestrian crossing, or the road at the time of the collision.

“The exact location isn’t known at this time and is forming part of investigations,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

The alleged driver of the car – a 56-year-old man – was uninjured, arrested and taken to hospital for mandatory testing.

A crime scene was established and investigations commenced into the circumstances of the crash.