Three tourists die in Australian road crash
Two Germans and a French tourist were killed when their minibus collided with a four-wheel-drive vehicle in north-eastern Australia, police said today.
Another six tourists – believed to be backpackers on a working holiday – from England, Germany, France, South Korea, and Canada were injured and taken to hospital after the accident yesterday at an intersection seven miles north of the coastal town of Bundaberg in Queensland state, police said.
Both Australians in the four-wheel-drive were injured and taken to hospital - one in a critical condition.
A 21-year-old woman and 19-year-old man from Germany were killed, as well as a 27-year-old French woman.
Ambulance spokesman Patrick Denham said the one of the victims was driving the minibus and the other two were sitting at the front.
Some of the injured were airlifted to hospital with head and spinal injuries, police said.
“It is believed the nine people travelling in the bus were backpackers on a working holiday,” the police statement said.
Rescue authorities said they had been employed to pick fruit.
Bundaberg police officer Ron Menthes said circumstances surrounding the crash were still unclear but investigations were continuing.
“We’re not sure whether it was one vehicle failing to give way as it entered the intersection,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
