Barriers are set up near the town of Greta after a bus crash in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, Australia on Monday.
Mark Baker / AP
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Mark Baker / AP
Barriers are set up near the town of Greta after a bus crash in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, Australia on Monday.
Mark Baker / AP
CANBERRA, Australia — A bus carrying guests to a wedding party overturned on a foggy night in Australia’s wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25, police said on Monday.
Assistant Police Commissioner Tracy Chapman said the 58-year-old driver was arrested at Cessnock police station and will be charged. She would not detail the allegations, including whether speed was a factor, but told reporters “there is enough information … for us to determine that there will be charges.” allegations.”
The crash 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.
Chapman said the guests had previously attended a wedding at Wandin Estate Winery and were heading to their accommodation in Singleton. A guest told Seven News it was a beautiful day and a fairy tale wedding.
The 25 injured people were taken to hospital by helicopter and by road. The other 18 passengers were not injured.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked first responders and asked the government to support the victims and their families, saying “the mental scars of this will not go away.”
“It’s cruel, it’s sad, and it’s unfair to have such a joyful day, in such a beautiful place, to end with such a terrible loss and injury,” Albanese told reporters.
“People hire wedding buses to keep their guests safe. And that adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy,” Albanese added.
Jay Suvaal, mayor of Cessnock, said the crash was “really terrible.”
“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 probably have done similar things,” he said. . “I think it will send shockwaves to the wider community.”
Greta is located in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region, a picturesque area dotted with vineyards and restaurants. This 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 across most Australian states.
