McKenzie mourns death of 9-year-old Amara Moore in Mandeville crash

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says he is deeply shaken by the death of nine year old Amara Moore, who was hit and killed by a garbage truck in her Mandeville community on Tuesday morning.

Amara, a grade four student, was on her way to school when the tragedy unfolded along Bonitto Crescent. The truck involved belongs to the National Solid Waste Management Authority, which falls under McKenzie's ministry.

In a statement, the minister said the loss has left him heartbroken.

"It is very difficult for me to adequately express my feelings about this. It is simply a tragedy all round. From all indications, garbage collection was in progress when the accident occurred," he said.

He noted that the vehicle has been impounded and investigations are underway, but the emotional impact across the community is already clear.

"I feel the shock, the disbelief and the grief that is radiating around Bonitto Crescent and at Villa Road Primary School at the unexpected and tragic loss of one of the community's youngest members. I feel the grief of Amara's relatives and friends as they try somehow to accept that she will not be walking back home today or ever again," McKenzie said.

He said the trauma was visible in the faces of family members, residents, NSWMA workers and others who gathered at the scene.

The NSWMA said the incident happened around seven in the morning and that details are still "sketchy".

The police have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the fatal crash.

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