SYDNEY, June 12 (Reuters) – A man was charged with dangerous driving on Monday after at least 10 wedding guests were killed when the bus they were traveling in crashed at a roundabout in the country’s worst ever bus accident. in Australia for almost 30 years, police said.
Twenty-five people were injured in the accident at about 11:30 pm (1330 GMT) on Sunday near the town of Greta, about 180 km (112 miles) northwest of Sydney, police said.
The bus carrying 35 passengers left the road and turned onto its side at a roundabout after a wedding in the Hunter region, a rural area famous for its vineyards and wedding venues.
According to the police, the driver, a 58-year-old man, was taken to the hospital for mandatory drug testing. He was not granted bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his “deepest sympathy” to the families of those killed and injured.
“We all know the joy of going to a wedding … it’s some of the happiest times you can have. And it’s very sad and unfair,” Albanese told reporters.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said police were treating it as a car accident and the cause may not be known for some time.
The bus was pulled over immediately after a “delicate operation”, as there were dead passengers inside, he said.
‘SO WELCOME TO HOME’
The country’s two worst bus accidents were head-on collisions within two months of each other in 1989 that killed 35 and 21 people, both in NSW state. Eighteen people died in 1973 when a tourist bus plunged down a slope after the brakes failed.
Residents of the area gathered to pay tribute and lay flowers near the scene of the accident.
“When we heard about it this morning, it was like, Oh my god! This is so close to home. And a wedding, one of the happiest days of your life and turned into one of the most horrible days in your life,” said Kim Greko to reporters.
The Wandin Valley Estate winery that hosted the wedding was closed on Monday, a public holiday, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the overnight bus crash that claimed the lives of several of our guests,” ABC reported, citing a statement from the vineyard.
Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates
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