The wedding of two Australian rules football players ended in tragedy after a bus crash resulted in the deaths of 10 people and sent a further 25 to the hospital.
As reported by The Sunday Morning Herald, Maddy Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney tied the knot on Sunday (June 11) at Wandin Estate in the Hunter Valley in Australia.
Gaffney was a star for the Singleton Roosters while Edsell was an ever-present player for the Hunter Valley women's team before moving to Melbourne to link up with the Roosterettes.
The bride and groom were pictured cutting the cake and looking overjoyed during their big day, and they waved to their guests as they arrived at the reception in a 1950s convertible Volkswagen Beetle that Edsell's father had restored.
Speaking to 7News, one of the guests described the day as a "fairytale".
Tragically, the night would take a turn for the worst at 11:30 PM as a bus carrying guests from the reception venue back to Singleton crashed.
The vehicle crashed onto its side and sadly resulted in the deaths of 10 wedding guests, and 25 more people have been hospitalized.
It is believed that the bride and groom were not on the bus at the time of the incident, but some of the Singleton Roosters Australian rules team players were on board.
Also on board were some Warrandyte Cricket Club players, with eight of them being injured alongside five of their partners during the crash.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Club president Royce Jaksic said: "At this point, none are life-threatening, but information is still sketchy members and there are some really horrific injuries (among the injured)."
One of those on the bus has been named Alex Tigani, with the Herald Sun reporting that he called his mother at 03:00 AM detailing the horrific incident, explaining that the most injured had to be dragged to safety.
Initial reports claim that the bus driver was not intoxicated at the time of the crash, but he was allegedly driving "erratically", causing the bus to crash on its side.
Tigani likened the crash to a "war scene" and said he was "covered in other people's blood" after the bus rolled, causing the glass to smash.
As per BBC News, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "[It is] so cruel, so sad and so unfair [for a] joyous day in a beautiful place like that to end with such terrible loss of life."
NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman explained that the guests were heading to their accommodation for the evening.
Police commissioner Karen Webb said that it is still an "active crime scene" while adding: "We've got forensics officers processing the crime scene, we've got crash investigation unit officers, we've got rescue officers [on the scene]."
Some of those injured were transported to the John Hunter Hospital, but most were taken to Sydney.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described the incident as "heartbreaking", before adding: "For this horrific crash to have occurred on a day that should have been filled with love and happiness only adds to the heartbreak.
"For a day of joy to end in such devastating loss is cruel indeed. Our thoughts are also with those who have been injured"
Those on the bus during the time of the crash have been urged to contact Cessnock police station with any information that might help with the investigation.
Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy.
