A family was involved in a tragic car accident near the town of Sindal in northern Jutland in which three children were declared dead on the scene.
According to North Jutland Police, the accident took place when the driver, a 39-year-old woman, took a left turn and was hit by a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.
Three of the children, two sons aged three and eleven and a daughter aged nine, died in the accident while the mother and her five-month-old infant survived the crash with superficial wounds.
The driver of the second vehicle, a 39-year-old man, also escaped the accident with scratches.
Police report that the mother is a Dane who had moved to Australia and was in Denmark on holiday visiting her father who lives in the region. The children's father is also a resident in Australia but it is currently unclear whether he is also a Danish citizen.
The mother and infant are recovering in Hjørring Hospital and police say they might speak to her today to find out more details about the circumstances of the crash.
“If the doctors think it is appropriate, we expect to be able to speak to her this afternoon in order to better understand what happened yesterday,” police commissioner Torben Rimmen from Hjørring local police told TV2 News.
The cars were badly damaged in the accident and the victims had to be cut from the wreckage.
Ritzau reports that the police who responded to the accident have been offered counselling.
“We feel for the family that this has affected and the police officers who were present on the scene,” North Jutland Police spokesperson Per Jørgensen told Ritzau. “We see many things but situations like these involving children are some of the worst.”
The Australian Embassy in Copenhagen has been in contact with the family.
“The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can confirm that three children from Western Australia died in a car accident in Denmark on Tuesday, 16 July," Damien Miller, the Australian ambassador to Denmark, said in a statement. "Consular officers from the Australian Embassy in Copenhagen are liaising with local authorities in order to provide consular assistance to the children’s family. We offer our deepest condolences to the family.”
