Ten people have died and nearly a dozen have been injured after a bus in Australia reportedly carrying wedding guests crashed into a roundabout.
The driver of the bus that crashed into a roundabout in New South Wales has been arrested, police confirmed on Monday morning.
Police in New South Wales said at just after 11:30pm on Sunday (local time) emergency services were called to the roundabout on Wine Country Drive near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp in the small town of Greta, after reports a coach had rolled.
"Initial inquiries indicate 10 people have died. 11 people were transported to hospital via helicopter and road, and 18 passengers are uninjured," NSW Police said.
The severity of injuries of those taken to hospital is not yet known.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said the driver has now been arrested.
"A 58-year-old man, the driver of the coach, was taken to hospital for mandatory testing, and he's now at Cessnock Police Station, and currently under arrest," Chapman said.
She said the driver will be "facing charges" but added it was too soon to say what they would be.
"He's been the driver of a motor vehicle collision where there have been fatal injuries and there will be charges pending," she said.
9News reports the bus was carrying guests who had just attended a wedding.
Police had earlier said the driver of the bus - a 58-year-old man - was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment.
Reporter Matt Doran told 7News from the scene in the Hunter Valley that about eight helicopters tried to land on the highway, but thick fog complicated efforts.
He added the death toll, which currently sits at 10, is likely to rise.
"I want to give you a little bit of a snapshot of what emergency services have been dealing with here. Wrap your heads around this. There are about six to eight helicopters trying to land on the highway here," he said.
"They couldn't do it because of the extraordinary fog you might see around me. It is so thick they weren't able to get into the crash site.
Doran said the bus rolled onto its side when going over a roundabout.
"The injuries I'm hearing about are beyond comprehension. A number of amputees, I'm told. A number of people have been taken with lost limbs to John Hunter Hospital and that is just the beginning. There are hopes and prayers the death toll will not go up," he said.
Wedding guests who spent the day celebrating were told of the tragedy and left completely shaken.
"It was a nice day, a pretty good wedding... fairy tale stuff really, it was a nice day, and we went to come back and get drunk, and we got the news that there had been a crash, and we all started panicking," a witness told 7News
Local mayor Jay Suvaal said he first heard about the tragic bus crash on social media when locals were commenting on it.
"I saw the accident on live traffic about a bus crash but it's only been later on this morning that I've been able to get any further details that have come through from the police," he told Nine's Today program.
He said the fatal crash is "truly horrific" and isn't news you want to wake up to.
"It's something that no one wants to wake up to. My thoughts are obviously with the people involved in the accident but their family and friends, as well as the first responders on scene, because it must have been truly horrible for them as well," he said.
"I think it will send shockwaves right through the broader community. The community, we are a close-knit community and there'll be massive showings of support, I imagine, throughout the day."
Suvaal said the community will be supported and the council will be providing them with everything they need.
"I'll be working with the council to see what support services we can put in place and make sure that the community is supported at this time," he said.
Police said they have launched an investigation into the crash and a crime scene has been established.
There was a large-scale emergency response involving officers, traffic and highway patrol, paramedics, firefighters and various helicopters for hospital transports, police said.
The small town is located about 125km north of Sydney and 40km northwest of Newcastle.
