A major northern Queensland highway has been described by a local mayor as “a country road” after a bus crash killed three women.
Police have confirmed a woman in her 20s, a woman in her 30s and a 56-year-old woman died after the bus collided with an all-terrain vehicle towing a caravan near Gumlu, south of Townsville.
Two men, aged 24 and 23, are in critical condition after a Greyhound bus carrying 33 people crashed in a 100 km/h zone on the Bruce Highway on Sunday.
Whitsunday Mayor Ry Collins said on Monday the section of road could be challenging.
“The challenge is this is a national highway… if you drive on it it doesn’t look like a motorway, it looks like a country road,” Collins told ABC radio.
“There are no hard shoulders on the road, it’s a fairly open section, so I imagine vehicles coming from both directions would be able to see each other, but obviously something has happened here where one has strayed into the other’s lane.”
Paramedics treated 27 people, with seven initially taken to a Townsville hospital after the crash in the Whitsundays area on Sunday morning.
Four people remain hospitalized, including two men in their 20s who are in intensive care in critical condition.
Investigators have yet to determine what caused a horrific crash between a Greyhound bus and a car towing a camper that left three women dead and dozens more injured. In the photo, the caravan embedded in the front of the bus.
Acting Chief Medical Officer Jason Yates said medical staff acted quickly after notifying the community to only attend Townsville Hospital if their matter was urgent.
“We were expecting a mass casualty event and needed to be prepared to respond,” he told reporters Monday.
‘Our teams worked very hard. We were able to mobilise additional staff who came in on a long weekend to do their job.
‘(They) …were able to provide timely care to patients who needed it, both as part of this tragic event, but also to ordinary people who needed our care.’
Police said the bus and 4×4 vehicle were travelling in opposite directions near Gumlu when they collided, describing the scene as “very, very confrontational”.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The three dead women and 27 injured passengers were on board the bus, and those inside the 4×4 were unharmed.
“An incident of this nature is very complex. We want to conduct a full investigation before we really look at how and why it happened,” Superintendent Graeme Paine told ABC TV.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said he was “shocked and saddened” by news of the crash.
“Our thoughts are with their loved ones and those affected by this tragedy. Queenslanders send them strength,” he posted on social media.
Greyhound Australia said the company was “heartbroken” by news of the accident.
‘This is a tragic incident. “Our deepest condolences to those involved and their families and friends,” they said in a statement.
The Bruce Highway was reopened Sunday night, hours after the fatal crash.
The horror accident caused significant delays on the Bruce Highway, which was closed in both directions.
