A 56-year-old grandmother from Townsville who died in a horrific bus crash on the Bruce Highway is being remembered as a 'gentle soul' and devout Christian. The woman was returning home from Brisbane with her daughter when the Greyhound bus they were travelling on collided with a caravan near Gumlu in Queensland's Whitsundays region just after 11am on Sunday.
Three people were killed in the crash, including two German nationals aged in their 20s and 30s. The bus was carrying 33 passengers when the impact forced it off the road, coming to a stop on nearby train tracks. The woman's daughter was uninjured in the incident.
Family members described the grandmother as a 'beautiful church woman' who was 'very strong' and always went out of her way to help others. Her husband of 19 years is 'beside himself' with grief, the family told 7 News. 'It comes as a huge shock to our family. We're still grieving,' they said.
Two men, aged 23 and 24, remain in hospital in critical condition, while two other men, aged 27 and 51, are in a stable condition. Mackay District Superintendent Graeme Paine described the incident as 'very confronting' and 'very complex', noting that the rural location made it difficult for emergency crews to reach the scene.
The Bruce Highway was closed until about midnight on Sunday. The forensic crash unit is investigating, and Greyhound Australia CEO Dan Smith expressed the company's heartbreak, stating they are cooperating fully with authorities and providing support to affected team members.
