A group of primary school children has suffered traumatic, “life-changing” injuries after a horrific bus crash in Melbourne, Australia.
The bus was carrying 45 students when police say it was hit by a truck from behind and rolled on Tuesday afternoon.
Some 18 children – aged 5 to 11 – were rushed to hospital, many for emergency surgery. One remains in intensive care.
The truck driver has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury.
Australia has a below-average road safety record compared to other advanced economies. It ranks 20th of out of 36 OECD countries for road fatalities.
Warning: This article contains distressing details
Police said the bus had only just left Exford Primary School, on the western fringes of Melbourne, when the collision occurred.
Children were trapped inside the bus before bystanders – including the truck driver and many of their teachers, who had rushed to the scene – helped emergency responders to free them from the wreckage.
Surgeons…
This article was written by and originally published on www.bbc.co.uk