Four New Zealanders were among 15 passengers who had a remarkable escape from a bus crash in Melbourne.
The roof of the bus was ripped off when the vehicle slammed into a bridge.
How everyone survived and without serious injury is being talked about as a miracle. The driver never slowed as he ploughed the bus into a rail overbridge.
"He seems to have driven in at considerable speed, resulting in extensive damage to the bus," says Commander Andrew O'Connell of the Melbourne Fire Brigade. "It would have been absolutely terrifying for the passengers inside the bus when the roof was being destroyed."
As those trapped were being rescued, other passengers sat bloodied in a daze. The 50-year-old driver sat apart, alone and in shock. One man following the bus had tried to warn him.
"I'm coming from the city and I saw this gold bus was pretty high, and I thought, 'S**t, it's going to hit the bridge,' so I start blowing the horn and in seconds it hits the bridge," says Nick Alexander.
He, along with other witnesses, rushed to help before emergency services arrived.
"A couple of people, their whole body was trapped, but the legs was the part of the body that was really trapped," says Mr Alexander.
The bridge has been blamed for dozens of accidents. The charter bus was not on a designated route.
"There's been a lot of issues with this bridge," says Inspector Jo Dolan. "It's probably a funding issue to raise it. It's got signs and lights so I don't know what more you can do."
Police are investigating the crash, with questions now being asked how the driver could get it so wrong.
Newshub.
