A woman has died and two others remain in life‑threatening conditions after a devastating bus rollover on the Bruce Highway in the Whitsundays. The crash happened around 4pm on Thursday near the Rangemore Road intersection at Gumlu — the same stretch of highway where three women were killed in a 2024 collision.
The southbound coach, operated by a FlixBus partner and travelling from Cairns to Airlie Beach, left the roadway and rolled onto its side with 29 people on board, including several foreign nationals.
Emergency crews from across the region rushed to the scene, with rescue helicopters, paramedics, police and fire crews working for hours to treat and transport the injured. Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed 29 adults were assessed, with 19 patients transported to hospitals in Townsville, Ayr and Bowen.
The 70‑year‑old bus driver from Mackay also suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bowen Hospital.
Police Superintendent Dean Cavanaugh told Nine News that passers‑by were among the first to help, pulling over to assist injured passengers before emergency crews arrived.
The Forensic Crash Unit is now leading the investigation and is urging anyone who witnessed the crash — or who has dashcam footage from the area between Bowen and Home Hill around 4pm — to come forward.
This tragedy comes less than two years after a fatal bus and caravan crash on the same stretch of the Bruce Highway, which claimed the lives of three women in June 2024.
Police are continuing to gather information as they work to determine what caused the bus to leave the road.
