A school camping trip has come to an abrupt and horrible end for four Ballarat Specialist School students following a barbecue explosion in Queenscliff.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A teenage boy and girl were airlifted to The Alfred hospital last night in a serious condition while their two classmates were taken to a Geelong Hospital.
One of the teens sustained injuries to their face and arms, while the other their chest and arms. Their conditions have since been updated to stable.
A spokeswoman for Victoria Police said the students were around a camp stove containing methylated spirits, which exploded after some of the fuel was spilt.
The incident at the BIG4 Beacon Resort has left Ballarat Specialist School Principal Karen Biggelaar shaken.
“We are shocked by this news and our thoughts are with the students and their families during this difficult time,” she said in a statement.
“We’ve been in contact with the students’ families and are currently arranging transport to ensure students who are not in hospital are safely home today.
“The school will do everything we can to support the family, friends and the community. This incident will be very distressing for our school community and we will have Student Support Services on hand for anyone who needs them.”
The BIG4 Beacon Resort released a statement Tuesday morning regarding the incident.
“First our prime concern is for those students that have been injured in the incident,” they said.
“We also wish to thank the emergency services for their prompt response to the call out.
“At this early stage, we can’t comment on the cause of the incident, other than to say that there appears to have been an explosion whilst the students were using their own portable methylated fuel cooking equipment.
“We are providing every assistance to the investigators during their enquiries so we can understand what has occurred as quickly as possible. Further enquiries regarding the status of the injured students or possible causes of the incident should be addressed to the emergency services.”
The department of education will be launching a full investigation into the incident.
“We take this this matter very seriously and a full investigation will take place to understand how this occurred,” a department of education spokeswoman said.
“The Department will work with the school to ensure that students and their families are being supported during this distressing time.”
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
