Victoria in shock over bridge tragedy
Victorians are in shock over the news a four-year-old girl has died after her father allegedly threw her off the side of Melbourne's Westgate Bridge on Thursday morning.
The 35-year-old Hawthorn man has been charged with her murder.
Police say witnesses reported seeing a man stop his white Landcruiser near the top of the bridge and throw the child over the side about 9:00am AEDT.
About 10 minutes later, water police pulled the girl from the Yarra River near the Scienceworks Technology Museum, close to the Spotswood pumping station.
Paramedics then spent 45 minutes trying to revive her on the riverbank.
She was flown to the Royal Children's Hospital, where she later died.
Victorian Premier John Brumby says the incident is a terrible tragedy:
"It's such a horrible thing to happen to the child, I think you know, as a father I think what are the circumstances that could possibly bring this about," he said.
"You know, I just shuddered when I heard about it, I think every Victorian you just shudder you just think how can that happen."
Police say when the man was arrested he was with two other children, aged six and eight, and was visibly distressed.
A court has been told the man was suffering from acute psychiatric distress and was suicidal.
Detective Inspector Steve Clark says the mother of the dead girl has been informed.
"It's a dreadful set of circumstances, and often you think you've seen it all but you haven't," he said.
"It's particularly distressing obviously for family members but for the witnesses who saw what occurred, a number of those people are upset and I've got a number of police here who have young children themselves, who have had to deal with it."
Police want witnesses to the incident to contact them.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/30/2477902.htm
