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News in 5: Australian dies from coronavirus in Perth, Vanessa Bryant's devastation, $25,000 raised for cafe car crash victim.

1. Australian James Kwan dies from COVID-19 in Perth.

An elderly Perth man has become the first person in Australia to die from the coronavirus, while four people who recently returned from Iran have been confirmed as the latest to test positive for the disease.

James Kwan, 78, and his wife Theresa, 79, had been flown to Perth from the quarantine facility at Howard Springs near Darwin more than a week ago, after being evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan after an onboard outbreak of the deadly infection. The couple’s son and daughter-in-law were also on the cruise.

He “passed away peacefully knowing his family loved him”, his wife said in a statement at Perth’s Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.

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Perth man James Kwan is the first Australian to die from COVID-19. Image: Facebook.
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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Morrison government has a national coronavirus plan with health authorities anticipating more cases.

"With the international spread of this virus, it is almost inevitable that we will see more cases of COVID-19 in Australia in coming weeks," he said in a statement on Sunday.

In a further effort to prevent the spread of the virus, the government announced on Saturday that foreign nationals who have been in Iran will be banned from entering Australia for 14 days.

Four new virus cases were confirmed on the weekend involving people who had return to Australia from Iran, before the ban was imposed.

NSW Health confirmed the state's fifth and six cases as a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s who both returned to Sydney from Iran.

The two cases are not connected as they arrived on different days and on different aircraft, but authorities are asking anyone on the flights to seek an immediate health assessment if they develop any flu-like symptoms.

The woman flew back to Sydney via Qatar, arriving on Sunday, February 23, on Qatar Airways Flight QR 908.

The man diagnosed with COVID-19 arrived in Sydney from Iran on February 22.

New cases in Victoria and Queensland were also people who had travelled from Iran.

2. Vanessa Bryant is "absolutely devastated" photos were shown of the crash that killed her husband Kobe and daughter Gigi.

The grieving wife and mother of NBA great Kobe Bryant and 13-year-old Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, who were killed alongside seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas in January, has released a statement on her Instagram on behalf of her lawyer.

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It reveals the mum-of-four is "absolutely devastated" by allegations that deputies from the Lost Hills Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department publicly released photos from the helicopter crash site.

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Vanessa Bryant gave a eulogy last week at her husband and daughter's memorial.

Vanessa went to the Sheriff's Office herself the day of the crash and requested the area be a designated no-fly zone and protected from photographers to protect the dignity of the victims and their families. The statement reveals she was assured her family's privacy would be honoured.

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"First responders should be trustworthy. It is inexcusable and deplorable that some deputies from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s substation, other surrounding substations and LACOFD would allegedly breach their duty.

"This is an unspeakable violation of human decency, respect, and of the privacy rights of the victims and their families. We are demanding that those responsible for these alleged actions face the harshest possible discipline, and that their identities be brought to light, to ensure that the photos are not further disseminated. We are requesting an Internal Affairs investigation of these alleged incidents," the statement reads.

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Nine people died in the plane crash on January 26, including of of Kobe's four daughters. Images: Facebook/Instagram.
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Last week it was announced Vanessa had filed a wrongful death lawsuit which said that pilot Ara Zobayan, who also died in the crash, was careless and negligent by flying in cloudy conditions and should have aborted the flight.

The lawsuit names Island Express Helicopters Inc and also targets Zobayan’s legal representative.

READ: "Babe, you take care of our Gigi." Vanessa Bryant's bittersweet tribute to Kobe and Gigi.

3. Sydney mother killed by elderly driver remembered as "lovely" as $25,000 is raised for her family.

Events manager and mum-of-two Liz Albornoz, 39, was sitting in a cafe with friends in Sydney on Friday when she was hit by a car being driven by 89-year-old Keith Lockery.

Lockery had allegedly been trying to park in a nearby disabled spot but instead plunged down an embankment pinning Liz against a wall.

She was knocked unconscious and treated at the scene before being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, where her husband and mother held her hand in her last moments, before she was pronounced dead three hours later.

Liz, her husband Victor and their two girls. Image: Facebook.
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Nine people were injured after the elderly motorist's car ploughed into the mothers' group, with several suffering broken bones.

A local told Daily Mail, Keith is a regular in the North Epping community.

"He's a beautiful old man and he's been through a tough time. Last year, his wife was put in a local nursing home and he always visited her before she passed away a couple months ago," he said.

Liz was passionate about building a "fairer Australia" by volunteering with charities like Helping Hands and Sydney Catholic Schools, with a GoFundMe set up in her honour describing her as a "dear friend and a loving mum".

"This fundraiser is a small contribution that we can make as a community to help Victor and the girls over the coming months," it reads.

In one day, the fund has already amassed $25,000.

-With AAP

Feature Image: Ten.

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