The Royal Hotel in Daylesford, Victoria. Source: Mattinbgn, Wikimedia Commons
Five people were killed when a car veered across a footpath and hit diners at the Royal Hotel in Daylesford on Sunday evening.
Police say the victims were from two Victorian families who knew each other and were visiting Daylesford over the long weekend.
Those killed included a young boy, a girl believed to be in her teens, two men in their 30s, and a woman in her 40s.
Five others, including two children, remain in hospital in stable conditions, except for one woman in her thirties who is in a serious condition.
Police chief commissioner Shane Patton said the families were not from the area but were visiting over the long weekend.
“It’s believed all of those killed aren’t locals, not from the Daylesford area but visitors just going about their everyday life, just enjoying themselves on a beautiful sunny afternoon,” he said.
Patton said that the event may have lasting impacts on the community, as well as on emergency service workers who were at the scene.
“It’s one of the most confronting scenes, I’ve been told, that experienced officers have been to,” he said.
“They will take that scene with them for many, many years. Some may never lose that scene, it may haunt them forever.”
Patton said investigations are still in early stages and that it is unclear what exactly caused the driver to crash into the pub, as they had been breath-tested and had no alcohol in their system.
Patton said that police will be exploring every avenue, including whether the driver may have had a medical episode.
