No fewer than 10 people were dead and 25 injured after a wedding crashed in an Australian wine region on Sunday night.
The passengers were returning from a wedding at a winery on Sunday night in Hunter Valley, a popular spot for wine tourists when their vehicle overturned.
According to BBC, the police have charged the 58-year-old bus driver with 10 counts of dangerous driving which resulted in death.
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While the authorities were still in the process of identifying the dead, the newlyweds, however, were not reported to be on the bus.
Police commissioner Karen Webb said the site of the crash is “still an active crime scene”.
“We’ve got forensics officers processing the crime scene, we’ve got crash investigation unit officers, we’ve got rescue officers [on scene],” Webb added.
The accident occurred about 23:30 local time [13:30 GMT] when, according to police, there had been heavy fog in the area, BBC reported.
The bus had rolled over while making a turn at a roundabout off a highway. Authorities say the vehicle has now been pulled upright.
NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said the guests were travelling to Singleton “presumably for their accommodation”.
Two of the survivors were airlifted from the crash, she added. Local media report that at least one of them is still in critical condition.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it is “so cruel, so sad and so unfair” for a “joyous day in a beautiful place like that to end with such terrible loss of life”.
“People hire a bus for weddings in order to keep their guests safe, and that just adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy,” he said at a press conference in Canberra.
Mr Albanese said some of the injured passengers are at John Hunter Hospital, but many have been flown to Sydney.
(BBC)
