Wedding Group Bus Overturned: 10 Dead And 25 Injured

Illustration. (Unsplash/David von Diemar)

JAKARTA - At least 10 people were killed and 25 others injured after a chartered bus carrying a group of wedding guests rolled over, police said Monday.

The accident occurred at around 23.30 a.m. on Sunday near the city of Greta, New South Wales State (NSW), about 180 km (112 miles) northwest of Sydney, Australia, in the Hunter area known for its wine plantations and wedding locations.

"To my knowledge, they plan to attend a wedding together, in my understanding, they travel together... maybe for their accommodation," NSW Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said in a news conference broadcast on television.

At this stage, it appears this is a single vehicle accident, Chapman said, adding that while the police are still trying to identify all passengers.

Meanwhile, footage posted in Australian media showed the bus lying tilted. Some people may still be stuck under the vehicle, police said.

The bus driver, a 58-year-old man, has been detained and is expected to be charged with the accident, Chapman said. He has been taken to hospital for alcohol and drug tests.

He said the thick fog enveloped the area at the time, but the cause of the accident - the worst in Australia in nearly 30 years - was unknown.

Separately, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conveyed "his deepest status" to the families of the dead and injured victims.

"We all know how happy it is to go to a wedding party... it's the happiest time you can have. For such an exciting day in a beautiful place it has to end with a terrible loss of life and injury, very cruel, sad, and unfair," PM Albanese told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Wandin Valley Estate wine refinery, which hosted the wedding, closed on Monday, a national holiday, the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) reported.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of last night's bus accident that claimed the lives of some of our guests," ABC reported, citing a statement from the wine plantation.

It is known that the two worst bus accidents in the Land of Kangaroo were, a series of collisions within two months in 1989 that killed 35 and 21 people. Both occurred in the State of NSW. Meanwhile, eighteen people died in 1973 when a tourist bus plunged into the slope after experiencing brake damage.