‘Totally destroyed, exploded’: Horrific scene of bus crash tragedy

Pieces of caravan were strewn along the Bruce Hwy, the front end of a Greyhound bus was left totally destroyed and the car it hit sat shockingly unscathed in the bushes.

Pieces of caravan were strewn along the Bruce Hwy, the front end of a Greyhound bus was left totally destroyed and the car it hit sat shockingly unscathed in the bushes.

This was the scene that confronted Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics who had to comb through a passenger manifest to ensure nobody was unaccounted for.

A total of 33 people were on the Greyhound bus when it crashed into a caravan being towed by a 4WD on the Bruce Hwy at Gumlu, leaving three dead and four with life-threatening injuries.

A tragic Greyhound bus and caravan crash on the Bruce Highway. Pic: 7News

It is understood one woman died just as she was to be loaded into one of the two rescue helicopters that went to the scene.

QAS Townsville senior operations supervisor Ray Hardy said when he arrived on scene, he could see a red greyhound bus parked across the trainline about 20m from the highway.

“The driver’s side and probably back a good five or six feet from there had been totally destroyed,” he said.

“The caravan had exploded down the highway.

An emergency helicopter takes off from the Bruce Highway after the horror Greyhound bus crash. Photo: 7News.

“The driver’s side of the bus was well and truly impacted and it had pushed along the train track from the place where it had mounted the train rails.

“I don’t know how he kept it upright.”

He said it was the largest incident he’d ever attended in terms of the number of patients.

Mr Hardy said ambulance crews had come from Home Hill, Ayr and Bowen and specialist crews from Townsville.

The scene of the Bruce Highway bus crash at Gumlu between Mackay and Townsville in which three people died and 27 were treated for injuries. Photo: 7News.

“We also brought up another transport from Townsville with a doctor and critical care paramedic on it.

“We put a call-out for staffing to assist and we got another three crews.”

He said 35 people were assessed by paramedics – 33 people from the bus and two people from the 4WD.

The occupants of the 4WD were uninjured and declined assistance.

Mr Hardy said those with serious injuries had mostly suffered head, chest and face trauma.

Others had been injured from their chest hitting the back of chairs.

Items left behind after the Bruce Highway horror bus crash in Gumlu on Sunday. Picture: Leighton Smith

“If the bus had gone over, it would have been much worse,” he said.

He said paramedics had to check passenger names against a lengthy list of people that had got on and off between Brisbane and the crash site – a total of 250 people.

“We had kids, little kids (including) a family with four young children, a few backpacker types and some seniors as well,” he said.

“It was just a greyhound commute from one town to the next. Some were backpackers making their way north.”

Mr Hardy said a lot of work had unfolded behind the scenes to ensure the safety of passengers and first responders.

“The area it was in made it difficult,” he said.

“The trains had to be stopped. A lot of behind the scenes work was done by a lot of people to make that area as safe as it could be.”