“At this stage, it would appear the jet ski has collided with an object or obstacle in the water, which has then thrown these two boys,” a police inspector said of the tragedy
One teenager is dead, and another was seriously injured after a jet ski crash in Sydney.
The New South Wales Police Department shared in a press release that it launched an investigation into the accident, which occurred on Sydney’s south shore and killed one 15-year-old boy and left a 14-year-old boy hospitalized.
Police said the incident took place on Tuesday, July 22 at around 6 p.m. They received reports of a “jet ski crash” that left “persons in the water” and arrived on the scene on the Sylvania side of Tom Uglys Bridge on the Georges River to investigate.
Officers found a 15-year-old boy already “deceased in the water,” who was “unable to be revived.” A 14-year-old “was treated at the scene for a severed arm.”
The teenager was sedated and placed into an induced coma before being transported to the hospital, according to The Nightly and 7News Australia. He was later transported in “serious condition” to Sydney Children’s hospital by paramedics, police said.
“A crime scene has been established and investigations commenced into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” police said in a statement.
The boys had been riding on the same jet ski when the crash occurred, according to initial reports from The Nightly and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Sutherland Shire Police Area Command Inspector Tim Carter said in a news conference, per ABC, that they suspected they hit something prior to the accident.
“At this stage, it would appear the jet ski has collided with an object or obstacle in the water, which has then thrown these two boys from the jet ski, where they have sustained these injuries,” he said, per the outlet.
The New South Wales Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information on the incident.
One witness, Alexandra Farrugia, told ABC that she had seen a body floating near the bridge while walking nearby with her partner.
“We just saw a lot of lights on the water, a lot of police on the water, and they brought someone up on his stomach,” she recalled.
The Georges River, where the jet ski crash occurred, is a popular site for people riding various water crafts including jet skis and boats, according to Sky News.