Ten people dead and more injured after bus crash in Australia

Ten people are dead and many more injured after a bus carrying guests returning from a wedding crashed in New South Wales, Australia.

Emergency services were called to Wine Country Drive, in the Hunter Valley, near the town of Greta at 11.30pm after reports a bus had rolled over.

The New South Wales Police (NSW) said 11 more people were injured in the accident and were taken to area hospitals by helicopter and by road. A further 18 passengers were uninjured.

The passengers had reportedly attended a wedding at a nearby winery before the crash.

One man who had attended the celebration told local media: “It was a nice day, a pretty good wedding… fairytale stuff really… and we got the news that there had been a crash, and we all started panicking.”

The driver, a 58-year-old man, was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment, police said.

Conditions on the road were reportedly foggy at the time, with visibility reduced to about 100 metres.

The NSW police statement added that a “large-scale emergency response” had commenced and included “officers from Hunter Valley Police District, Police Rescue, Traffic and Highway Patrol, NSW Ambulance paramedics, NSW Fire and Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service, and various helicopters for hospital transports.”

Police said that they have established a crime scene at the site and have started an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Australia media reported that it was a wedding bus. Jay Suvaal, the mayor of nearby Cessnock, said the crash was “truly horrific.”

“We are a major wedding and tourist destination in the Hunter Valley, and so there will be people from all over the state and the country that have been to these areas and have probably done similar things,” he told Network Nine.

“I think it will send shock waves right through the broader community.”

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese offered his “deepest sympathies” to those that lost loved ones and thanked emergency services for their efforts at the scene.

In a tweet from his account, he said: “All Australians waking up to tragic news from the Hunter send our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of those killed in this horrific bus tragedy.

“For a day of joy to end in such devastating loss is cruel indeed. Our thoughts are also with those who have been injured.

“Thank you to all the first responders who rushed to the scene, and those continuing to assist and care for those affected by this tragedy.”

Tanya Plibersek, the minister for water and the environment, also paid tribute to those who died in the tragic incident.

In a post on Twitter, she said: “Horrible news overnight of a bus crash in the Hunter Valley. A day of celebration ending in tragedy. Just terrible. Thinking of those who have lost loved ones, those who are injured, and the whole community.”

Greta is in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region, a picturesque area dotted with vineyards and restaurants. It was the first wine region established in Australia.

Additional reporting by agencies