WARNINGAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story contains images of people who have died.
The heartbroken family of a beloved grandmother who died in a horrific bus crash not far from her home have broken their silence to express their immense shock and grief.
A Greyhound bus collided with a 4×4 vehicle towing a caravan on the Bruce Highway near the Wilson Creek rest area, between Gumlu and Wangaratta in north Queensland, at about 11am on Sunday.
Three women on board the bus were killed after it reportedly veered onto the wrong side of the road moments before the collision.
One of the victims has been identified as a 56-year-old grandmother of eight from Townsville, who was returning home from Brisbane with her daughter and four grandchildren.
The other two women killed were German tourists between 20 and 30 years old.
The crash also injured 27 passengers, who were among the 33 people on board heading to Townsville after leaving Brisbane.
Grandma was remembered as a devout Christian and a “gentle soul.”
The family of a Townsville woman (pictured) who died in a horrific bus crash on Sunday are remembering her as a “gentle soul”.
The woman was heading home from Brisbane when the Greyhound bus collided with a 4×4 vehicle carrying a caravan on the Bruce Highway.
The woman’s daughter was unharmed in the accident.
Her family said her husband, to whom she had been married for 19 years, was “out of his mind.”
“We will miss his presence and his smile,” the family told reporters.
‘It’s a huge shock for our family and we are still grieving.
‘She was a beautiful church woman, she never hurt anyone, (she was) very strong.
‘She went out of her way to give the shirt off her back to anyone. Her grandchildren and immediate family loved and supported her.
“We are grateful to everyone for their wishes and condolences.”
Two men, aged 23 and 24, were admitted to hospital in a critical condition. The 23-year-old’s condition has since deteriorated to stable but serious.
Two other men, aged 27 and 51, are also in stable condition.
Mackay Superintendent Graeme Paine said emergency services were faced with a “very confrontational” and “very complex” scene.
Police believe the bus veered into the oncoming lane in a 100km/h zone before colliding with the 4×4 vehicle.
The grandmother’s family has implored everyone to wait for the results of the police investigation to find out what happened.
“We want a full investigation, there is no point in blaming anyone,” they said.
“Let the police and the courts do their part of the work.”
The loving mother of four and grandmother of eight grandchildren was murdered along with two German citizens aged between 20 and 30.
Four other people, aged 23, 24, 27 and 51, were also rushed to hospital and the 24-year-old remains in critical condition.
The Bruce Highway was closed until about midnight Sunday because the rural location of the crash made it difficult for emergency crews to reach the scene.
Superintendent Paine said the forensic crash unit is investigating the crash.
“Certainly, an accident of this nature involving so many people is a very significant and very tragic incident for us,” he said.
‘We have several specialists on site who will be working at the scene of the incident.
‘They will process the evidence forensically and then we will analyze it.’
Premier Steven Miles “extended his condolences” to all those affected by the crash, but added that it was “a little premature to speculate on (its) cause”.
