One person killed in bus rollover on Bruce Highway

One person has died and almost 20 people have been injured in a bus rollover in north Queensland.

The FlixBus coach – which had 29 people on board – was travelling from Cairns to Airlie Beach when it crashed on a remote stretch of the Bruce Highway at Gumlu just before 4pm.

Queensland police confirmed on Thursday night that one passenger had died from their injuries and appealed for anyone who witnessed or has video of the crash to contact them.

“The Forensic Crash Unit is appealing for witnesses following a single-vehicle bus crash that has claimed the life of one passenger at Gumlu, north of Bowen, on Thursday 14 May,” police said in a statement.

The driver – a 70-year-old man from Mackay in North Queensland – is assisting police with investigations.

The Queensland Ambulance Service initially reported at least 20 people were injured in the crash, three of them critically.

Helicopters were flown in from Mackay and Townsville, with the first patients taken to hospital just after 5pm. Fifteen people were in hospitals in Ayr, Bowen and Townsville just after 6pm.

There were eight stable patients at Townsville University Hospital on Friday morning, and one at Ayr Hospital.

Three patients were discharged from Bowen Hospital overnight, with another expected to leave today.

The crash occurred near Rangemore Road, about 90 minutes south of Townsville by car, and closed the highway for several hours. Police cleared the bus from the scene overnight and both sides of the Bruce Highway have been reopened.

The same stretch of road was the site of a fatal Greyhound bus crash in 2024 that killed three women and critically injured two young men.

The Bruce Highway has long been considered one of the most dangerous roads in Australia.

Stretching from Brisbane to Cairns, the highway is used by more than 100,000 vehicles every day, according to NRMA.

Of the 302 people killed on Queensland roads in 2024, 41 died on the Bruce Highway while another 7500 were hospitalised after driving on the road, according to data from the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads.

More than 66 per cent of people believe there are not enough overtaking lanes on the highway while a third of respondents said they avoided travelling on the Bruce during family holidays, according to a 2024 NRMA survey.

In a bid to bolster driver safety, the federal government earmarked an extra $812 million for the second stage of upgrades to the Bruce Highway after delivering the budget on Tuesday.

This added to $758 million already delivered during stage one.

Premier David Crisafulli told ABC on Friday morning he did not think the stretch of highway was “up to standard” and called on the Commonwealth to commit further funding.

“I’m not making judgement on that specific section [near Gumlu], nor the circumstances behind [the incident], but it’s such an important road,” Crisafulli said.

“It’s so important to who we are as a state, but also a nation – it is a national highway.”

FlixBus is an international operator with services in over 40 countries. It launched in Australia in November last year.

With AAP

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.