Ten people have been killed and many more injured after a bus carrying guests returning from a wedding crashed in New South Wales, Australia.
Emergency services were called to Wine Country Drive, in the Hunter Valley, near the town of Greta at 11.30pm after reports a bus had overturned.
NSW Police said 11 other people were injured in the incident and were taken to area hospitals by helicopter and road. 18 other passengers were unharmed.
The passengers had reportedly attended a wedding at a nearby winery before the crash.
A man who attended the celebration told local media: “It was a nice day, a pretty good wedding… really fabulous stuff… and we got the news that there had been a crash and we all started to panic.”
The driver, a 58-year-old man, was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory tests and examinations, police said.
Road conditions were reported to be foggy at the time, with visibility reduced to about 100 metres.
The NSW Police statement added that a “massive emergency response” had been launched and included “officers from the Hunter Valley Police District, Police Rescue, Road and Highway Patrol, NSW Ambulance Paramedics, NSW Fire and Rescue Service, NSW Rural Fire Service and various hospital transport helicopters.
Police said they established a crime scene at the scene and began an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Australian media reported it was a wedding bus. Jay Suvaal, the mayor of nearby Cessnock, said the crash was “truly horrific”.
“We are a major wedding and tourism destination in the Hunter Valley and so there will be people from all over the state and the country who have been to these areas and probably done similar things,” he told Network Nine.
“I think it’s going to send shockwaves right through the wider community.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his “deepest sympathies” to those who lost loved ones and thanked emergency services for their efforts at the scene.
In a tweet from his account, he said: “To all Australians waking up to the tragic news from the Hunter, our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those killed in this horrific bus tragedy.
“For a day of joy to end with such a devastating loss is truly cruel. Our thoughts are also with those who were injured.
“Thank you to all the first responders who rushed to the scene and to those who continue to help and care for those affected by this tragedy.”
Tania Plibersek, the Minister of Water and Environment, also paid tribute to those who died in the tragic accident.
In a post on Twitter, she said: “Horrible news overnight about a bus crash in the Hunter Valley. A day of celebration ending in tragedy. Just awful. Thinking of those who have lost loved ones, those who are injured and the whole community.”
Greta is in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region, a picturesque area dotted with vineyards and restaurants. It was the first wine region established in Australia.