A coach involved in a horror crash that killed one passenger and critically injured two others was full of tourists, most of whom were visiting Australia from overseas.

There were 29 people on the coach when it rolled off the Bruce Highway, near Gumlu in Queensland’s Whitsundays, on Thursday afternoon.

One woman died after suffering multiple significant traumatic injuries, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesperson told AAP, while others – including the driver, a 70-year-old Mackay man – were taken to hospital.

The bus was travelling from Cairns to Airlie Beach when the accident occurred.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli described the crash as a tragedy, telling the ABC that the woman who died had been on “the trip of a lifetime”.

“You’ve got young people in many cases living out their dream in a foreign country and to have something like this happen – I can only imagine what that feels like for the parents and families, in many cases, on the other side of the globe,” he said.

A passenger with a life-threatening condition was driven to Ayr Hospital before being airlifted to Townsville University Hospital, while another person in a life-threatening condition was also flown to the Townsville hospital.

Eleven ambulances, two helicopters and a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane attended, with Superintendent Dean Cavanagh saying it was “a very confronting” and complex scene.

“They were people visiting our country which really does just increase that complexity, not only for the investigation and support we can offer but also for the passengers and their family, friends and loved ones who are extremely concerned.”

Ten people reportedly remained in hospital on Friday morning.

The crash occurred on what is considered one of Australia’s most dangerous roads.

Cavanagh would not speculate about the cause of the crash, saying the Forensic Crash Unit would investigate.

Thursday’s crash occurred near the site of a collision involving a Greyhound bus that killed three passengers and seriously injured others in June 2024

The Bruce Highway has long been considered one of the most dangerous roads in Australia.

Of the 302 people killed on Queensland roads in 2024, 41 died on the Bruce Highway, while another 7500 were hospitalised after driving on the road, according to data from the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads.

In a bid to bolster driver safety, the federal government earmarked an extra $812 million for the second stage of upgrades to the Bruce Highway in Tuesday’s budget.

Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said the incident underlined the necessity of upgrades to the highway.

“It’s why we’ve fought so hard to get an 80/20 funding deal with the federal government and $9 billion of investment on the Bruce Highway to make it safer,” he told reporters on the Gold Coast.

“All of that money is being spent north of Gympie and south of Cairns on stretches of road like the one the tragic incident occurred on yesterday.”

-with AAP