CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A bus carrying wedding guests overturned on a foggy night in Australia’s wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25, police said Monday.
The 58-year-old driver was arrested and held at a Cessnock police station and will be charged, Assistant Police Commissioner Tracy Chapman said. She did not detail the allegations, including whether speed was a factor, but told reporters “there is enough information … for us to establish that there will be charges.”
The accident happened just after 11.30pm in foggy conditions at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive in the town of Greta in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, north of Sydney.
The guests had previously attended a wedding at the Wandin Estate Winery and were heading to their accommodation in the town of Singleton, Chapman said. A guest told Seven News the day was enjoyable and a fairytale wedding.
Of the 25 people injured, 21 remained in hospital late Monday morning and one was in critical condition, the state government said. The conditions of the others were described as stable. 18 other passengers were not injured.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked first responders and offered the government’s support for victims and their families, saying “the mental scars of this will not go away”.
“For a joyful day like this, in such a beautiful place, to end with such terrible loss of life and injury is so cruel, so sad and so unfair,” Albanese told reporters.
“People hire a bus for weddings to keep their guests safe. And that only adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy,” Albanese added.
Jay Suvaal, the mayor of Cessnock, said the accident was “really horrific”.
“We are a major tourist and wedding destination in the Hunter Valley, so there will be people from across the state and country who have been to these areas and likely done similar things,” he said. he declares. send shockwaves through the wider community.
Greta is in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region, a scenic area dotted with vineyards and restaurants. It was the first established wine region in Australia.
The wedding took place in the middle of a long weekend, with Monday being a public holiday in most Australian states.
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Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.