A school bus with children on board has collided with a B-double truck and flipped onto its roof in Victoria’s north-west.
Emergency services raced to the scene at the intersection of Stawell-Warracknabeal and Minyip-Dimboola roads at Minyip shortly before 9am on Thursday.
Three children and a female passenger were evacuated from the 22-seater bus, which had been travelling to Warracknabeal Special Developmental School.Â
One child suffered minor injuries.Â
The female bus driver, who suffered serious injuries, was freed from the wreckage after being trapped for an hour.Â
The truck driver sustained minor injuries after his B-double, which was carrying hay, ended up on its side.
Dozens of emergency responders, including a specialist Air Ambulance helicopter and six Advanced Life Support paramedic crews attended the scene.
The bus driver has been airlifted to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. The injured child and truck driver were transported to Horsham Hospital.
Three people were rushed to hospital after a school bus collided with a B-double (scene pictured)
The collision occurred at the intersection of Stawell-Warracknabeal and Minyip-Dimboola roads at Minyip (pictured)
‘Our thoughts are with those being cared for by our health service colleagues and we thank our teams and all emergency services colleagues who supported the response, an Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said.
Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Roads in the area remain closed with motorists urged to take alternative routes.
Police urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.Â
The incident has rocked the small town of Minyip in Victoria’s Wimmera region, 320km north-west of Melbourne, which has a population of 525.
‘One parent told me all the kids are doing okay, just a little bit rattled as you could expect,’ one local told the Herald Sun.
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Fears for schoolchildren after bus hits a truck and flips at busy intersection in Minyip, Victoria