Stewart Perrie
A bus driver has been charged after 10 people died and more than two dozen were hospitalised following a wedding.
Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell had just celebrated what was meant to be the happiest day of their lives at Wandin Valley Estate in the New South Wales Hunter region when tragedy struck.
A bus carrying their nearest and dearest overturned on a roundabout.
Brett Andrew Button has since been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death - drive manner dangerous, and one count of negligent driving (occasioning death).
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His licence has been suspended in the wake of the crash and he was first taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment
The 58-year-old was refused bail on Monday (June 12) and will appear in Cessnock Local Court today (June 13).
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb says the crash is an 'awful situation' and their investigation is only just getting underway.
“I’m sure you can share with me in just imagining how tragic this is, for not only the first responders and all those that are responding but certainly I’m thinking of their families that are affected by this,” she said.
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Commissioner Webb added: “You can imagine the scene that was confronting police when they attended and that some people were transported to different locations and then re-diverted, so police have the arduous task now of matching individuals from the bus to property located in the bus.
“So it is going to take time and it is probably frustrating for families, but I’m sure families want to get this right, so we need to just take our time.”
News Corp reports around 10 people have since been discharged from hospital, however 15 remain.
The bus was finally turned upright yesterday in a delicate operation.
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Authorities will spend the next few days combing the scene for clues as they investigate the incident.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman says they are trying to be very careful with the scene.
“I’m aware that it was confronting and very traumatic scene. Wherever you’ve got that large-scale incident with that many people it’s going to be difficult for anyone,” Ms Chapman said.
“It’s a tragic set of circumstances.
“From a policing perspective, our role is to make sure that we undertake a full and thorough investigation to ensure that some comfort may be given to the public at the conclusion of that process.”