A British father and son have died after five members of the same family were caught up in a landslide while on holiday in Australia.

The nine-year-old boy and his 49-year-old father died at the scene, at Wentworth Pass in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, New South Wales police said.

A 50-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy were taken to hospital in critical conditions with significant head and abdominal injuries following the incident on the walking track, which was reported to emergency services at around 1.40pm local time on Monday.

A fifth member of the same family, a 15-year-old girl, was treated for shock.

Police said the quintet are British nationals who were holidaying in Australia.

Acting Superintendent John Nelson said: “Unfortunately there’s been a land slip while they’ve been bushwalking.

“It’s quite a tragic scene.”

He described the 15-year-old girl as “extremely distressed”.

Stewart Clarke, from NSW Ambulance, said the incident happened in an “extremely dangerous, extremely unstable environment”.

He described the situation as “heart-breaking”.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “We are providing consular support to the family of a British couple and their children following an incident in Australia.

“We are in contact with the local authorities.”