A wedding took a tragic turn when a bus carrying the bride’s loved ones crashed in New South Wales, leading to the loss of ten lives.
Just a day earlier, Madeleine Edsell got married to her new husband Mitchell Gaffney. As the night’s celebrations wound down, guests boarded a Linq Buslines 2009 Volvo B7R coach. However, just 17 minutes into their trip, the bus tipped onto its side. This led to ten fatalities and 25 people hospitalized.
Among the deceased were Andrew and Lynan Scott, a married couple from Singleton, Zachary Bray from Byron Bay, Angus Craig from Queensland, and Singleton residents Tori Cowburn and Rebecca Mullen.
Kane Symons and Darcy Bulman are also unaccounted for.
First responders arrived at the scene despite challenging foggy conditions. Emergency helicopters were also brought to the site of the crash.
The 58-year-old bus driver, local resident Brett Button, was arrested and taken to the hospital for mandatory testing. He was later moved to Cessnock Police Station, where he faced charges of dangerous and negligent driving leading to death.
Button was given strict conditional bail during his appearance at Cessnock Local Court on Tuesday.
Investigators suggest that the passengers on the left side of the bus likely suffered devastating injuries because of their contact with the road surface and guard railings. The bus allegedly entered the roundabout too quickly, leading to the deadly crash.
Currently, 15 passengers remain hospitalized. One patient is in a critical but stable condition.
Police are seeking further information from the public.