Ten dead, 25 injured in Australia wedding bus crash

At least 10 people were killed and 25 others hospitalized after a bus carrying 40 wedding guests overturned in Australian wine country, leading to the driver’s arrest.

The tragedy capped a “fairy tale” wedding, guests said.

It was about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday near Greta, a town about 112 miles northwest of Sydney, when the bus overturned as guests traveled back to where they were staying, Reuters reported.

The area is famous for its wedding venues and vineyards. The event they’d attended was held at the Wandin Estate Winery in New South Wales.

Police said they were still working to identify the victims and contact next of kin, urging friends and family of anyone who might have been on the bus to contact Cessnock Police Station.

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There was “sufficient information” to arrest the 58-year-old driver, New South Wales Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“He’s under arrest,” she said. “He’s been the driver of a motor vehicle collision where there have been fatal injuries, and there will be charges pending.”

With 25 people hospitalized — two of whom were airlifted from the crash site — there could be more fatalities, Chapman said. The bus was lying on its side, sparking fears that people could be trapped underneath, police said.

The cause of the crash was unclear, though there was heavy fog in the area at the time, according to police.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the crash “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,” BBC News reported, citing a press conference in Canberra.

“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.

With News Wire Services