The fairytale wedding that turned into a tragedy after a bus taking attendees home crashed has been described as a "devastating war scene".
On Sunday (June 11) afternoon, football players Maddy Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney tied the knot at Wandin Valley Estate in the Hunter Valley.
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.
After the newlyweds' nuptials, a coach had been driving about 45 guests from the venue to Singleton - a town a 30-minute drive away - at around 11:30 PM.
However, approximately 17 minutes into the journey to guests' accommodation, the 2009 Volvo B7R rolled over on Wine Country Drive at Greta, New South Wales, and reportedly left ten people dead, while 25 others were injured and taken to hospital.
Police revealed the following day (June 12) that the 58-year-old bus driver named Brett Andrew Button has been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, including drive manner dangerous, and negligent driving (occasioning death), per News.com.au.
The couple's MC, local reporter Alex Tigani, was among those injured and currently recovering at John Hunter Hospital. His mother Loretta Tigani told the Herald Sun that the crash site resembled a "devastating war scene" and said that couple are stunned by the casualty.
She also reportedly said that her son was "very upset" after watching his friends lose their lives in the collision, adding: "They’re monitoring him for concussion, he was covered with other people’s blood."
"For him being the local reporter you get to know everyone," Loretta continued. "He was very emotional because he’s seen a lot of his mates die. It’s a small town so everybody knows each other."
A police source spoke with the Daily Mail about the tragic incident, revealing that the calls that came in that day were "horrific" and that there were "limbs everywhere".
The outlet disclosed that many more people are feared dead as authorities believe there could be more wedding guests trapped under the wreckage.
The bodies of the deceased have not yet been removed from the crash, where the bus still remains on its side. Fortunately, however, no children had been on board the coach. Police are still attempting to identify the crash victims to notify their families.
The most severely injured - including those with lost limbs - were taken to the region's largest trauma hospital, while several others were airlifted to a Sydney hospital for life-saving surgery. Ten others are at two different hospitals, with four of the 25 injured already discharged.
The bus operator, Linq Buslines - a local family company that specializes in school excursions, sporting teams, winery tours, and wedding parties - has shared a statement regarding the tragedy.
"We are incredibly saddened to learn of the bus crash that has occurred overnight," it said, per 7News. "Our hearts are with everyone involved in this terrible tragedy and we send our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones."
"We would like to thank the first responders to the scene, the emergency personnel, and those who are continuing to assist. Trauma counseling services have been made available to all staff and their families at Linq Buslines. We are working with NSW Police and authorities as they investigate," they added.
In addition to this, Wandin Estate Winery (the wedding venue) has also released a moving statement in the wake of the crash, penning: "Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims and we are supporting in any way we can," as cited by News.com.au.
"At this time, we are providing support to those guests who need our help and we wish to maintain their privacy and won’t be making any further statements at this time," they added.
The driver has been denied bail and is set to appear in court on Tuesday (June 13).
Our hearts continue to go out to the family and friends who lost their loved ones.
