What is supposed to bring joy to a couple has ended in nights of regrets and worries that could last a lifetime.
It was their wedding day and the bus they hired had ended in what has been described as the deadliest road disaster in Australia in 16 years.Â
Wedding guests gathered for a “day of joy,” but instead were faced with “undeniable despair.
A wedding bus carrying guests crashed and killed ten people in an “unimaginable” nighttime disaster.
It traveled through a wine-growing region north of Sydney, police said on Monday, announcing a slew of charges against the driver.
The white Linq Buslines coach was transporting 35 passengers from a wedding at a local winery late on Sunday.
It flipped onto its left side and came to rest on the pavement alongside roadside barriers at the entrance to a large roundabout.
It was the deadliest road disaster in Australia in 16 years.
Police said they charged a 58-year-old man with ten counts of dangerous or careless driving “occasioning death” and denied him bail before a court hearing in nearby Cessnock on Tuesday.
A dozen emergency personnel wearing high visibility yellow vests arrived on the scene shortly after the accident on a foggy night in Greta.
They assisted in the transport of more than 20 victims to hospitals.
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One patient was in “critical” condition while 20 others were in “stable” condition, according to authorities.
Bodies are still being recovered from the area after a day-long operation.
Wedding images released on social media showed happy guests from the reception celebrating on the grounds of a local winery just hours before the disaster.
‘Frantic Scene’
Tracy Chapman, Acting Assistant Commissioner, reported a “frantic scene” in the aftermath of the incident.
She said, that emergency personnel “were able to smash the front windscreen of the bus in order to pull some people, or assist some people, out of the bus.
“As well as those who could, walked themselves.”
She said that no children were thought to be involved.
According to Chapman, the guests were undoubtedly on their way to their lodging following the festivities.
She said, that no other vehicles appeared to be involved in the incident.
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The cause of the crash was not discussed by police.
Injury Is So Cruel
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Canberra: that “for such a joyous day like that in such a beautiful place to end with such terrible loss of life and injury is so cruel, sad, and unfair.
“People hire a bus for weddings in order to keep their guests safe, and that just adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy.”
Albanese expressed his best wishes for the recovery of those in the hospital, as well as his gratitude to the emergency personnel.
“I’d like to express our gratitude to the first responders who arrived at this terrible scene.”
“I can’t imagine what they were up against or what they had to deal with,” he added.
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The scene is being investigated by forensic police and a Crash Investigation Unit.
The Hunter Valley region is popular among visitors and group activities due to its abundance of wines, kangaroos, and wild bushland.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has expressed his “deepest condolences” to the families and loved ones of those slain and injured.
Wedding guests gathered for a “day of joy,” but instead were faced with “undeniable despair.
“The next few days and weeks may be even worse than the initial shock as this community fully realizes what it has gone through.”
