Overview
- The FlixBus coach, which overturned Thursday on the Bruce Highway near Gumlu, was carrying about 30 passengers traveling from Cairns to Airlie Beach.
- Authorities confirmed the lone death as 26-year-old Argentine-Italian traveler Serena Andreatta, as emergency crews treated roughly 29 passengers and moved several to hospitals in Townsville, Ayr, and Bowen.
- Several passengers remain in serious condition, including Andreatta’s friend Valentina Accardi, who is under care at Townsville University Hospital.
- Queensland’s Traffic Accident Investigation Unit is probing the rollover, and FlixBus says preliminary checks found no speeding and the 70-year-old driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs.
- Premier David Crisafulli pointed to the Bruce Highway’s poor safety record and recent fatal crashes, and the incident has renewed scrutiny of FlixBus after a separate February crash led to a driver being fined for careless driving.