Toddlers spotted wandering on Aussie road after daycare escape: 'We heard screaming'

A witness has described the moment they heard 'screaming' before spotting the two children near a dangerous stretch of road in South Australia.

Sophie Coghill
·News Reporter
Updated ·2-min read
Two young children stand within metres of cars on a major road in Adelaide.
Two young children escaped the Blair Athol Childcare Centre in Adelaide after finding a gap in a damaged fence in the playground. Source: 9News

Shocking footage has emerged of two young children wandering within metres of a major city road after escaping a daycare centre unsupervised.

The children had reportedly stumbled upon a gap in a damaged fence on the perimeter of their play area on Monday and exited Blair Athol Childcare Centre in Adelaide. They wandered towards Main North Road — an arterial route between the city centre and the northern suburbs. Many cars were spotted whizzing past the children before others quickly slowed.

It is understood three carers were supervising nine children at the time and staff had carried out a safety check of the area before the children went out to play, however the damaged area was shielded by bamboo trees.

A carer running along the footpath as another squeezes out the damaged fence (left) and a carer pulls a child off the road (right).
The carers were quick to realise the children were missing and used the same gap in the fence (left) to rescue the youngsters. Source: 9News

The carers quickly realised the children were missing and dashed to their rescue, pulling them off the road.

"We did hear some screaming coming from across the road, probably one of the carers calling for them to come back, maybe trying to get them to stop from running onto the road," witness George Mavromatis told 9News.

The section of the road is known to be "a very bad intersection", he explained. "We've seen multiple car accidents, it's pretty lucky to come out that lightly."

The parents of the children were reportedly notified as soon as the children were safe, however the incident is now the subject of multiple investigations.

"I've got a two-year-old and a four-year-old and yeah, just wow. I'm going to go home and hug them as soon as I get home from work," Mavromatis said.

Yahoo News has reached out to Blair Athol Childcare Centre for comment.

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