Driver is killed and a five-year-old boy is fighting for life after being hit by falling trees as powerful storm batters Melbourne
- A man was killed and a five-year-old boy is fighting for life after a horror storm
- The two were hit by trees which came down in strong winds in VIC on Thursday
- Emergency services received more than 1600 calls for help during the storm
A five-year-old boy is fighting for life after being crushed by a falling tree in wild weather that lashed Melbourne on Thursday night.
The child was rushed to the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital at about 6pm after a tree toppled onto the road at Blackburn South in the city's eastern suburbs.
Another falling tree killed a man at Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges, 35kilometres east of Melbourne.
A five-year-old boy is fighting for life after being crushed by a falling tree in wild weather on Thursday night
Emergency services have been rushed off their feet responding to call outs for help when the horror storm hit the state on Thursday
Trees smashed into power poles, tram lines and onto cars as a result of gusty winds caused by a cold front moving across Victoria
The 59-year-old was leaving the Belgrave shopping centre car park when a strong wind gust brought the tree down at the intersection of Terrys Avenue and Ena Road, next to the local police station.
Emergency services were rushed off their feet responding to call outs for help when the vicious storm hit the state.
The State Emergency Service received 447 calls in one hour alone, with more than 1600 calls for help over a six-hour period, reported Nine News.
Heavy winds took out power lines, affecting up to 60 sets of traffic lights across Melbourne, and also caused the suspension of services across the rail network.
More than 95,000 homes were left without power across Melbourne and south Victoria, reported ABC news.
Pictures posted on social media showed entire rooves torn off buildings and outdoor furniture being tossed around by the strong winds.
An alert map in Melbourne shows hundreds of incident reports including fallen trees across the city on Thursday
Victoria Police issued an urgent warning via social media to Melbourne residents.
'If the curfew isn't incentive enough to stay home, please consider your own safety as well as the safety of emergency services workers who are currently dealing with the damage caused by this evening's severe weather,' it read.
The brunt of the storm was felt at Hogan Island in Bass Strait where winds reached 156kph, and were recorded at 115kph in Port Phillip Bay.
State emergency service volunteers remove a fallen tree from the road in Blackburn South
Social media users captured the storm rolling in across the city
One woman shared a photo of her neighbour's roof landing on her car
Another saw their trampoline go flying in the wild wind
