Two fighting for life, others injured in crash south of Townsville
Updated ,first published
Approximately 20 people were injured, one person died, and at least two people are struggling to survive after a bus overturned in North Queensland.
Emergency services were called to a vehicle with 29 people in it on the Gümlü Bruce Highway at around 16:00.
Queensland police confirmed on Thursday night that a passenger had died from his injuries and asked anyone who witnessed or saw the crash to contact them.
“The Forensic Crash Unit is appealing for witnesses following a single-vehicle bus crash that claimed the life of one passenger in Gumlu, north of Bowen, on Thursday, May 14,” police said in a statement. he said.
Queensland Ambulance Service reported that at least 20 people were injured in the accident, three of them critically. Just after 6 p.m., 15 people were hospitalized.
The crash occurred near Rangemore Road and the Bruce Highway was closed in both directions.
The site is approximately 90 minutes drive south of Townsville.
Helicopters flew in from Mackay and Townsville and the first patients were taken to hospital just after 5pm.
Passengers were taken to hospitals in Ayr, Bowen and Townsville.
The Bruce Highway has long been considered one of Australia’s most dangerous roads.
According to the NRMA, the highway from Brisbane to Cairns is used by more than 100,000 vehicles every day.
Of the 302 people killed on Queensland roads in 2024, 41 died on the Bruce Highway, while 7500 people were hospitalized after driving on the road, according to data from the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads.
More than 66 per cent of people believe there are not enough overtaking lanes on the motorway, according to a 2024 NRMA survey, while a third of respondents said they would avoid traveling on Bruce during family holidays.
In a bid to improve driver safety, the federal government allocated an extra $812 million for the second phase of improvements to the Bruce Highway after releasing the budget on Tuesday.
This was added to the $758 million delivered in phase one.
from AAP
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