Bacchus Marsh school bus crash: most students wearing seatbelts, bus association says

A school bus of four adults and 27 students from Loreto college was on the Western Highway outside Melbourne when it was hit by a truck. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Most of the 27 students onboard a bus that was hit by a truck west of Melbourne were wearing seatbelts, authorities have confirmed, saying the safety measure may have saved their lives.

The school bus, operated by Little’s Coaches, was on the Western Highway at Bacchus Marsh in the early hours of Wednesday morning when it was hit by a truck after slowing down to avoid a separate crash.