Heroic first responders smashed the windshield of an overturned bus to free victims before using specialized equipment to partially lift it to rescue those trapped underneath after a horrific crash that claimed the lives of 10 wedding guests.
A bus carrying about 40 people from a wedding venue in the Hunter Valley, NSW, to their accommodation in nearby Singleton crashed into a roundabout around 11:30pm on Sunday.
Ten people have died and 21 are currently in hospital, with one victim currently fighting for his life. According to police, there were no children on board.
Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said brave first responders “smashed” the windshield to get those who could walk to safety.
“You can imagine it was a pretty hectic scene,” she said.
“We were able to get a number of passengers through the bus windshield and then deal with them in terms of that triage process with NSW ambulance.”
Fire and rescue workers also reportedly used airbags and logs to lift the overturned bus to free people trapped underneath.
The site of the bus crash in Greta, 183 km north of Sydney, which killed 10 wedding guests and left 21 others in hospital
Photos from the reception show newlyweds Maddy Edsall and Mitchell Gaffney (pictured, left) cutting their cake while a live band plays in the background and their MC Alex Tigani addresses the audience (right). It is understood that Mr. Tigani is one of the injured who is currently recovering at John Hunter Hospital
“They used their tools to lift the bus off a person,” said an emergency services source The Sydney Morning Herald.
“They used airbags to lift it up and they put logs under it to lift the bus.”
It is unclear if the person who was pulled under the bus is one of the deceased or if they are currently in hospital.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Fire and Rescue NSW for comment.
The bus driver, a 58-year-old man, is currently under arrest at Cessnock police station and police say ‘charges are pending’.
He gave a negative alcohol test, but there are reports that he drove “irregularly” before the horror crash.
It is clear that the area was shrouded in heavy fog at the time of the crash.
He had driven about 40 guests from Lovedale’s Wandin Estate winery in the Hunter Valley, where they had attended the wedding ceremony of Maddy Edsall and Mitchell Gaffney, to their accommodation in nearby Singleton.
The bus carrying about 40 passengers was en route from the wedding venue of the Wandin Estate winery in the Hunter Valley wine region (pictured) when it rolled into a roundabout currently under construction on Wine Country Drive near the Hunter Expressway exit in Greta, 7.5 mi further on, at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday
It is understood that the area was shrouded in heavy fog at the time of the crash (Photo: First responders on scene)
It is understood that the newlyweds’ master of ceremonies, local reporter Alex Tigani, is one of the injured who is currently recovering at John Hunter Hospital.
A woman who worked at the party last night told Daily Mail Australia that there were about 100 people at the wedding.
“It’s just terribly sad,” she said. “That they all had so much fun last night, then this is happening.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns said: “Today is a day to hug someone you love and remember how precious life is.”
Chilling audio from the first responders reveals the horror of the scene.
“Major incident declared,” a first responder can be heard saying in a recording shared by Today. “We have a bus that overturns. Multiple patients.’
“At this stage we have identified seven, I repeat, seven code fours.”
“We have one patient with a red label whose injuries are serious. And unfortunately we expect that to become code four as well.’
“Code four” refers to a fatal accident.
A police source added that the calls coming in overnight were “horrific” and there were “limbs everywhere”.
A victim is wheeled away on a stretcher by a paramedic in the dense pre-dawn fog (pictured)
The bodies of the deceased have not yet been removed from the spot where the bus is still lying on its side.
Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said there was ‘enough information’ for police to press charges against the bus driver who is currently being arrested at Cessnock Police Station, where he is being questioned by detectives.
“He was the driver of a motor vehicle collision resulting in fatal injuries and charges will be filed,” Deputy Commissioner Chapman said.
She added: “It’s a tragic turn of events. The number of family members, but the wider community, affected by this is beyond counting,” she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people hire buses for weddings “to keep their guests safe,” which only added to the “unimaginable nature of this tragedy.”
“We all know the joy of going to a wedding, a chance to celebrate dear friends and family. They are some of the happiest times you can have,” he said.
“It is so cruel and so sad and so unfair that such a joyful day in a beautiful place should end with such a terrible loss of life and injury.”
Mr Albanese thanked the first responders.
“The mental scars of this are not going away,” the prime minister said.
“They’re there forever and we have to make sure that when the spotlight goes away, the care doesn’t, for people who have lived through this and for people who have experienced this tragedy firsthand,” he said.
One contestant expressed disbelief after being told of the tragedy.
“It was a fun day, a pretty good wedding… fairytale stuff, actually… and we went back to get drunk, and we got the news that there had been an accident, and we all started to panic” , one participant told 7NEWS.
A bus crash victim is treated by paramedics (pictured)
The 58-year-old bus driver is under arrest and the police expect to file a report later today
Police detectives reportedly tried to understand how a bus could have rolled into the ‘big’ roundabout.
Peta Hughes, a local business owner in Branxton, just north of Greta, said the roundabout where the bus crashed had been reduced to one lane due to construction work.
“They’ve got barriers and safety posts and stuff around there. It’s a 40 km/h zone,” she told News Breakfast.
But federal MP Dan Repacholi said he didn’t see how the road being reduced to one lane could be a problem.
“We ride the Hunter roads every day of the week. Those roads in that area are good roads. So I really don’t see that as a problem,” he told News Breakfast.
NSW state member for Cessnock Clayton Barr said: ‘It was on a roundabout, the bus couldn’t go faster than 20-30 mph.’
“It’s an incredibly well lit area, the road surface is great. It’s just a reminder of how fragile our lives are when we’re really on the road. Simple things, little things.’