An Australian school bus driver has died after he crashed into two escaped camels who also died.
The unnamed man, in his 40s, was driving the bus alone in the early hours when he struck the animals on a road in a rural area of the Queensland state, police said.
The driver was on his way to start the school run before sunrise when the vehicle fell down an embankment after it hit the animals.
Sadly the camels died too.
Detective Inspector Luke Peachey said the cause of the accident was under investigation.
He told reporters today: "It appears at this stage that a bus has collided with two camels and as a result, the bus driver has lost his life. Our investigations to date have revealed that he was the sole occupant of that bus."
Details of the bus driver’s identity have not been released, while police notify relatives.
Peachey continued: "It’s a tragic day for the family and friends. Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of that bus driver.
"We're not here to blame anyone. It's very early into the investigation."
The camels belonged to veteran camel racer and breeder John Richardson.
Police notified him that the incident involved his animals and he said he was heartbroken.
“I’m just devastated,” Richardson told ABC News, after finding a gate off its hinges along his fence line.
He continued: "I’ve never had a gate come off like that. It's not like they're chasing a feed. I've just bought round bales and I've got more round bales that arrived this morning.
"I couldn't work (it) out … they don't try to get out (normally)," he said.
Authorities have appealed for anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact the police.
Richardson has been breeding camels with his wife in central Queensland since 1988.
They bought their first two wild camels for the Great Australian Camel Race and one of them won.
Camels were introduced to Australia in the nineteenth century for transport purposes and went on to form feral populations which have spread across the country.
They are considered by the Queensland government to be a non-declared pest species.
Richardson told the Brisbane Times in 2016: "People come up and say they spit, bite, kick, but it's like anything, you have to feed them right and then they treat you right.
"If they don't make a good racer, we just use them for show camels, the nice quiet fellas.
"Camel also have good meat, you would think you were eating beef.
"I have only ever had it once, I don't make a habit of eating it, I just tell my boys (the camels) if they play up they'll end up on the table."
