A tragic incident occurred in north Queensland, where one person lost their life and nearly 20 others were injured in a bus rollover. The FlixBus, which was carrying 29 passengers, was en route from Cairns to Airlie Beach when the accident happened on a remote section of the Bruce Highway at Gumlu just before 4 pm.
Queensland police confirmed on Thursday night that one passenger had died due to their injuries and urged anyone who witnessed the crash or had video footage to come forward. In a statement, the Forensic Crash Unit said, “The Forensic Crash Unit is appealing for witnesses following a single-vehicle bus crash that has claimed the life of one passenger at Gumlu, north of Bowen, on Thursday 14 May.”
The bus driver, a 70-year-old man from Mackay in North Queensland, is cooperating with the ongoing investigations. According to the Queensland Ambulance Service, at least 20 people were injured in the crash, with three of them in critical condition. Helicopters were dispatched from Mackay and Townsville, and the first patients were taken to hospitals just after 5 pm. By 6 pm, 15 people had been admitted to hospitals in Ayr, Bowen, and Townsville.
On Friday morning, eight patients were stable at Townsville University Hospital, while one was at Ayr Hospital. Three patients were discharged from Bowen Hospital overnight, with another expected to leave today.
The crash occurred near Rangemore Road, approximately 90 minutes south of Townsville by car, and caused the closure of the highway for several hours. Police cleared the bus from the scene overnight, and both sides of the Bruce Highway have since been reopened.
This particular stretch of road has a history of dangerous incidents. It was the site of a fatal Greyhound bus crash in 2024 that resulted in the deaths of three women and left two young men critically injured. The Bruce Highway is widely regarded as one of the most hazardous roads in Australia.
Spanning from Brisbane to Cairns, the highway is used by over 100,000 vehicles daily, according to NRMA. In 2024, 302 people were killed on Queensland roads, with 41 of those deaths occurring on the Bruce Highway. Additionally, 7,500 people were hospitalised after driving on the road, according to data from the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads.
A 2024 NRMA survey revealed that more than 66% of respondents believed there were not enough overtaking lanes on the highway, while a third of participants said they avoided traveling on the Bruce Highway during family holidays.
To enhance driver safety, the federal government allocated an additional $812 million for the second stage of upgrades to the Bruce Highway following the recent budget announcement. This follows the $758 million already allocated during the first stage.
Premier David Crisafulli expressed concerns about the condition of the highway, stating that he did not believe the stretch near Gumlu met the required standards. He called on the Commonwealth to provide further funding. “I’m not making a judgment on that specific section [near Gumlu], nor the circumstances behind [the incident], but it’s such an important road,” Crisafulli said. “It’s so important to who we are as a state, but also a nation – it is a national highway.”
FlixBus, an international operator with services in over 40 countries, launched its operations in Australia in November last year.
