{"id":672552,"date":"2026-05-15T12:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/672552\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T12:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:36:15","slug":"gumlu-bus-tragedy-grim-details-emerge-after-coach-full-of-tourists-rolls-in-deadly-bruce-hwy-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/672552\/","title":{"rendered":"Gumlu bus tragedy: Grim details emerge after coach full of tourists rolls in deadly Bruce Hwy crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 26-year-old woman has been revealed as the tourist killed in a Whitsundays<\/a> bus crash.<\/p>\n

A charter bus travelling from Cairns<\/a> to Airlie Beach, with 29 passengers on board, left the Bruce Hwy at Gumlu about 4pm on Thursday.<\/p>\n

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Deadly bus crash on Bruce Hwy<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

The bus rolled onto its side on a creek embankment, killing one person and injuring everyone else on board.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lady has lost her life, it\u2019s a real tragedy,\u201d Queensland Police Mackay Whitsunday Superintendent Dean Cavanagh said on Friday.<\/p>\n

In an update on Friday afternoon, police said she was a 26-year-old Argentine Italian.<\/p>\n

Two other passengers were fighting for life when emergency services arrived, and the remaining passengers were all taken to various hospitals.<\/p>\n

The survivors are now all in stable conditions, Cavanagh said.<\/p>\n

\"OneOne woman died in the bus crash at Gumlu while the other 28 people on board were injured. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

All the coach passengers \u201care tourists to our region,\u201d he said in a press conference on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cA majority were from overseas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very complex incident, a very serious incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bus was also filled with passengers\u2019 personal items and baggage, and Cavanagh said there was \u201ca very conscious effort last night to gather that and try to return it to these tourists at various locations and hospitals as quick as we could\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said Queensland Police will be working with partner agencies and the Department of Home Affairs to ensure the loved ones of those involved in the crash are supported through the investigation process.<\/p>\n

\"AllAll the passengers on the bus were tourists, most from overseas. Credit: 7NEWS\"QueenslandQueensland Police Superintendent Dean Cavanagh said more passengers could have died if not for the actions of first responders. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

Cavanagh commended the emergency response at the crash site, which he said was \u201cwas in an isolated area\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we saw was multiple emergency response crews from various locations respond very quickly, very professionally, and join at that location.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we tragically lost a life, I believe that effort that we saw went to saving many, many more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very confronting scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cavanagh thanked the first responders as well as passing members of the public who he said stopped to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt certainly is a testament to that community,\u201d Cavanagh said.<\/p>\n

The bus driver, a 70-year-old Mackay man, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bowen Hospital.<\/p>\n

Flixbus, the company whose platform listed the coach service, said: \u201cWe are deeply saddened to confirm a coach service listed on the Flixbus platform was involved in a serious accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are heartbroken to learn that one passenger has since passed away in hospital. The coach operator is working closely with emergency services and local authorities as they investigate the cause of the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

The police investigation is ongoing and witnesses should contact authorities.<\/p>\n

The crash comes just a week after a driver was found not guilty over a 2024 Greyhound bus crash<\/a> that killed three passengers in the same area on the Bruce Hwy.<\/p>\n

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