At least 10 people have lost their lives following a bus crash in the New South Wales' Hunter Valley on Sunday night.
Emergency services were called to the site of the crash on Wine Country Drive near Greta, just after 11:30pm.
Police say the coach, which carried around 40 people, rolled on a roundabout.
At least 10 people have died and 25 were taken to hospital with varying injuries. 12 people have now been discharged, as of Tuesday morning.
READ MORE: 'Thank you for running towards the storm': A letter to Hunter Valley first responders.
It has since been confirmed that the passengers were travelling to their accommodation after attending the wedding of Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsel, a couple who were highly involved with the local AFL club the Singleton Roosters.
An investigation into the crash is underway, following a large-scale emergency response involving local police, rescue squad and highway patrol officers, ambulance paramedics, NSW Fire and Rescue, and the Rural Fire Service.
While police didn't reveal the ages of those involved in the accident, they confirmed no children were on board at the time.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Tracy Chapman earlier described a frantic scene for those who arrived.
"Emergency responders... were able to smash the front windscreen of the bus in order to pull some people out," Chapman said.
A senior NSW Ambulance officer told Seven News the magnitude of the accident had been confronting for first responders.
"Whilst they are paramedics every day of their lives, something like this is not a job that they go to every day," she said.
"I'm incredibly proud of all the paramedics that attended. They did a fantastic job under the circumstances and no doubt they will be reflecting, and we will have the right support there for them."
Bus driver charged.
The 58-year-old bus driver, Brett Andrew Button, was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment.
He was charged on Monday night with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of negligent driving occasioning death.
The Maitland man was refused bail and will appear at Cessnock Local Court on Tuesday, NSW Police said.
Acting Assistant Commissioner David Waddell described Button allegedly driving "in a manner that was inconsistent with the conditions" as he entered the roundabout to turn west onto the Hunter Expressway.
"He lost control of that vehicle and it fell over onto its left side, onto a guardrail."
The lives lost.
The Daily Telegraph has identified most of the victims, whose families have been notified by NSW Police.
However, formal identification of the victims could still take weeks.
The victims include Darcy Bullman from Melbourne, Tori Cowburn and Rebecca Mullen from Singleton, Zachary Bray from Byron Bay and Angus Craig from Queensland.
Married couple Andrew and Lynan Scott are also among those who lost their lives.
According to the ABC, the pair, who live in Singleton, leave behind two young children.
Tributes are pouring in on social media, with many offering their condolences to the Singleton Roosters Australian Rules Football Club and their loved ones.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted a message of sympathy on Twitter to the loved ones of those killed in what he called a horrific tragedy.
"For a day of joy to end in such devastating loss is cruel indeed," he said.
"Our thoughts are also with those who have been injured."
NSW Premier Chris Minns said 14 people remain in hospital as authorities work to ensure they get the care they need.
"Everybody in the state has been really traumatised by these terrible events," he told the Today Show on Tuesday.
A trauma counselling centre will open in Singleton youth centre on Tuesday to help anyone affected by the tragedy.
"It's the government's responsibility and the local council's responsibility to be there for them not just in the immediate glare of the accident but in the weeks and months to come," said Minns.
Police have begun taking witness statements from survivors.
"They're providing a version of, or witness statement in terms of what they experienced and that will assist us with our inquiries and furthering that investigation," said Chapman.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the use of seatbelts would undoubtedly be one of the matters looked at by the coroner.
"Whether they were actually wearing seatbelts or not ... certainly all of that will come under scrutiny," she said.
"Again that will be a matter the coroner will have a look and ultimately the driver will have to think about that for the rest of his life."
- With AAP.
This article was originally published on June 12, 2023 and was updated on June 13, 2023.
Feature image: AAP/Facebook/@Lynan Scott.
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