Blue Origin rocket explodes on launch pad during test
Jeff Bezos says his space venture company Blue Origin has had a "very rough day" after its New Glenn rocket exploded on the launch pad.
disaster and accident
Liquid mercury ‘show and tell’ shuts outback town
Mercury vials taken from a town dump to school have shut key sites in an outback town as firefighting crews test the air and search for more contamination.
Spearfisher dies in shark attack at popular diving spot
A coastal community has been left shocked after a spearfisherman was killed by a shark attack, despite witnesses rushing to his aid.
Three dead after ‘horrific’ head-on midnight crash
Police were called to conduct a welfare check at a home moments before a head-on car crash that killed three people.
Australian policeman dies in Machu Picchu hiking fall
An Australian police officer has died in Peru after falling from the Inca Trail near the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu while on holiday.
Overseas tourists in fatal crash on ‘trip of lifetime’
Passengers on board a bus involved in a deadly crash were tourists on a "trip of a lifetime", with police now probing other incidents linked to the company.
Legal costs fail for operator in jumping castle tragedy
Rosemary Gamble has failed to have her legal bill paid by the state after being cleared of criminal charges over a jumping castle incident that killed six kids.
Afghanistan veteran dies in parachute training crash
A highly-respected Special Forces sniper who went on multiple overseas deployments has died after colliding with a fellow paratrooper during an exercise.
Loved ones honour volunteers killed in rescue tragedy
Two volunteers who made the ultimate sacrifice while responding to a boat in distress, died while doing what they were passionate about, their loved ones say.
‘Courage on steroids’: volunteers die in rescue mission
Two rescuers who died while trying to save a stricken yachtsman in wild seas have been honoured by their local community for their courage and heroism.
‘Trying times’: farmers stare down trifecta of troubles
Farmers are being forced to adapt and innovate as drought conditions intensify and global shocks push up costs and risk vital fertiliser supplies.
Flight only lasted seconds before ‘catastrophic’ crash
Investigators are collecting evidence and assessing the "catastrophic scene" where a plane crashed into a hangar, killing two people and injuring 10 others.
Young children who died in tragic house fire identified
A fundraiser supporting a family who lost two children in a house fire on the day they were due to move interstate has revealed tragic details about the blaze.
Grain belt hit by worst mouse plague in years
Mouse numbers have exploded to plague proportions across a state's grain belt, with thousands per hectare threatening crops and straining bait supply
Survivors leave hospital after inferno killed children
The surviving family members of a house fire that killed two children and hospitalised four siblings and a parent have been discharged from hospital.
Last Indonesian train victims recovered as toll hits 15
Rescuers have finished their evacuation of a damaged commuter train car and confirm the crash outside Indonesia's capital killed 15 people.
Heartbreak, outpouring of support as inferno kills kids
A community is rallying around a local family after a house fire killed two children and hospitalised four siblings and their father.
Chernobyl survivors recall battle against invisible foe
A Chernobyl survivor who helped clean up after the world's worst nuclear disaster recalls the hardest part was convincing people of the danger they faced.
Beaconsfield 20 years on: premier pays tribute
Two decades after the Beaconsfield mining disaster, a community reflects on the tragedy and the survival of two men from deep underground.
‘Just instinct’: farmer loses arm, neighbour steps up
A quick-thinking neighbour has been credited with helping save the life of an elderly Queensland farmer who lost his arm in a horror harvester accident.
Emergency declared as fires rip through southeast US
It is not yet clear how the latest wildfires started in Georgia, but the conditions have prompted the US state's first-ever burn ban.
Warning after extreme weather’s financial toll revealed
The eye-watering cost of extreme weather for 2025 has been revealed, sparking a warning the financial toll may only get worse.
Japan eases tsunami alert after powerful quake strikes
Japan has downgraded tsunami warnings triggered after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck in waters off its northeast coast.
Chopper pilot found dead at remote outback crash site
Investigators have been sent to the site of a helicopter crash after a pilot suffered critical injuries and was found dead at the scene.
Divers saved after tense 20-hour search in rough waters
After a 20-hour search, emergency services and police crews have found two men who had drifted more than 25 kilometres from their dive site.
Maritime search for missing cruise ship passenger
Search and rescue crews are looking for a man who disappeared after his family reported he went overboard while travelling on a cruise ship.
No extra fuel security measures after refinery inferno
An increase in Australia's fuel security level is not being considered, despite a major fire at an oil refinery disrupting 40 per cent of petrol production.
Fresh fuel supply fears hosed down after refinery blaze
Australia will lean more heavily on fuel imports after a fire caused by a suspected gas leak ripped through one of the nation's two oil refineries.
Tourism funding boost to help cyclone-hit towns recover
Towns reliant on tourism will receive help to rebuild with a support package on its way for businesses rocked by Cyclone Narelle.
Deadly quake off Indonesia triggers small tsunami
An undersea earthquake has toppled buildings in parts of northern Indonesia, killed at least one person and generated a small tsunami.
Crops flattened, towns smashed by rampaging cyclone
Bananas, livestock and vegetables have felt the brunt of Cyclone Narelle as communities clean up following the brutal storm.