Police confirm one passenger killed, 18 injured in horror bus crash
UPDATE at 4:30 PM (AEST) | ONE person has been confirmed dead and at least 18 others injured, five of them critically, after the bus they were on flipped down an embankment in regional Victoria.
The bus was reportedly carrying up to 30 people when its driver lost control on the Sunraysia Highway near Avoca shortly after 3pm on Saturday.
The bus left the highway and hit a tree before rolling into an embankment where it came to rest on its side.
Photos from the scene uploaded to social media show the back of the bus was ripped apart in the collision.
It’s understood the bus was transporting elderly people back to Ballarat from a bowls tournament in Mildura.
Police confirmed one of the passengers, believed to be a woman, died at the scene while 18 others were injured.
Ambulance Victoria says five of the patients are in a critical condition.
TONIGHT: One dead and others seriously injured in a bus rollover near Ballarat. We'll cross LIVE to @kieranjones_9 for the latest. #9NewsAt6 pic.twitter.com/WJN5jjxPKN
— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) October 14, 2017
It’s understood three rescue helicopters were dispatched to the scene to airlift the most seriously injured to hospital.
Many others are being transported to surrounding hospitals in ambulances.
Detectives from the major collision investigation unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The Sunraysia Highway is expected to remain closed for several more hours while the scene is examined.
The highway is closed between Maryborough Street and Arnaud Road, along with Stawell-Avoca Road.
One has died and dozens more injured after a bus rolled into an embankment in Victoria. https://t.co/fopvMHGOKP #Victoria #7News pic.twitter.com/bE4lqndxs7
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) October 14, 2017
FIRST at 3:30 PM (AEST) | ALMOST 20 people have been injured – three of them seriously – following a serious bus crash in regional Victoria.
As many as 30 people are thought to have been aboard the bus when it crashed on the Sunrasia Highway in the small town of Avoca, around 70km northwest of Ballarat, on Saturday afternoon.
It’s understood the bus swerved and slammed into a tree before flipping onto its side just after 3pm.
At least three people have been seriously injured while 14 others are believed to have suffered minor injuries.
Two rescue helicopters have been dispatched to the scene to airlift the most seriously wounded to hospital.
Paramedics are working on the less seriously injured patients at the scene, some of whom will need to be taken to hosptial by ambulance for further treatment.
