Two men remained in a critical condition on Monday morning after a bus crash in north Queensland left three people dead.
A Greyhound bus carrying 33 people collided with a four-wheel drive towing a caravan on the Bruce Highway near Gumlu, just north of Bowen, about 11am on Sunday.
Three women were killed and 27 people were assessed on the scene, with seven taken to hospital.
The Townsville Hospital and Health Service said two men aged 23 and 24 remained in a critical condition.
Two other men, aged 27 and 51, also remained in hospital in a stable condition. Two women aged 23 and 63, and a 64-year-old man were discharged overnight.
The people killed and injured were all passengers on the bus.
Queensland police said on Monday morning that the Bruce Highway had reopened in both directions. They took to social media to thank motorists for their patience.
The bus was travelling north on the highway and the four-wheel drive was travelling south in a zone that has a speed limit of 100km/h.
At a press conference on Sunday, a Queensland police superintendent, Graeme Paine, said investigations were under way, adding that that officers had not yet “determined any factors that have contributed to the crash”.
“I can’t go into detail at this stage around the specifics of how the crash has occurred,” he said. “That’ll be subject to an ongoing investigation. We’ll look at other aspects of the investigation, witness statements, to try and really put together what’s happened.”
He described the crash as “very, very confronting” and said: “The impacts from this will be felt right throughout the community, right across the state and possibly across the nation as well.”
Meanwhile, Whitsunday Mayor Ry Collins described conditions on that section of the highway as “being like a country road”.
He said the section of the highway where the crash occurred could be challenging.
“The challenge is this is the national highway … if you are to drive the road it doesn’t feel like a highway, it feels like a country road,” Collins told ABC radio.
“There’s no shoulders on the road, it is a fairly open section so I’d imagine the vehicles coming either way would have been able to see each other but there’s obviously been something happened here where one’s veered into the other’s lane.”
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said he was “shocked and saddened” by news of the crash.
“Our thoughts are with their loved ones and those impacted by this tragedy. Queenslanders are sending you strength,” he posted on social media.
Greyhound Australia said the company was “heartbroken” by news of the crash.
“This is a tragic incident. Our deepest sympathies go out to those involved and their families and friends,” they said in a statement.
