Australian boy killed as truck slams into house

SYDNEY – An 11-year-old boy was killed as he slept when a truck ploughed into his house on Sunday in a horrifying smash which killed another man and injured seven other people, police said.

The truck carrying two trailers ran off the road after hitting a flatbed van on the busy Pacific Highway north of Sydney at about 5:00 am and slammed into two houses “killing a boy asleep in his bedroom”, police said in a statement.

The 11-year-old died instantly and the van driver was also killed, while seven others including the boy’s 14-year-old brother and four people from a neighbouring house were rushed to hospital with injuries.

The truck driver, aged 40, had been admitted in a serious condition with chest and limb injuries along with his 31-year-old passenger, who suffered injuries to his head, spine and limbs.

The crash closed the Pacific Highway, the major route connecting Australia’s east coast cities, and local residents said the narrow stretch of road was notoriously dangerous.