Burdekin Opens Its Heart To Stranded Passengers After Highway Horror

Burdekin Shire Council Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort (left) and Officer in Charge of Ayr Police Station Senior Sergeant Lisa Shields (right) with survivors following the tragic bus rollover near Gumlu. Photo: Jacob Casha

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The Burdekin community has rallied to support survivors following last Thursday’s tragic bus rollover near Gumlu. While emergency services managed the confronting crash site, local residents, council staff, and Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort coordinated immediate relief, providing accommodation, meals, and medical aid to the shaken passengers.

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Tragedy On Bruce Highway As Bus Rolls Near Gumlu

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A young overseas tourist has died and dozens of passengers were left shaken after a bus crash near Gumlu last Thursday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the Bruce Highway north of Bowen just before 4pm on 14 May, after a southbound FlixBus travelling from Cairns to Airlie Beach left the roadway and rolled onto its side.

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The bus was carrying 29 people at the time of the crash. The driver, a 70-year-old Mackay man, was taken to Bowen Hospital with minor injuries.

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Police confirmed 26-year-old Serena Andreatta, a dual Argentina and Italy national, died at the scene.

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Several other passengers sustained injuries and were transported to hospitals in Townsville, Ayr and Bowen for treatment.

One passenger who survived the crash told Burdekin Life they became concerned about the bus’s movements in the hours before the rollover.

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“I did not feel so safe,” the passenger said, claiming the bus appeared to be “swerving” at times.

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The passenger said the concern prompted them to fasten their seatbelt.

They then recalled the bus striking a barrier before rolling, describing chaotic scenes inside the vehicle as passengers and belongings were thrown around the cabin.

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Following the crash, passengers were accommodated in Ayr overnight before being cared for at the Burdekin Theatre loft the following day, where they were provided meals prior to continuing their journey south on another bus.

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Burdekin Shire Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort attended to check on passengers and assisted in sourcing medication for those affected. Passengers lauded the response efforts of Burdekin Shire Council, Ayr Police, and the wider community.

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The Queensland Police Forensic Crash Unit is continuing to investigate the incident.

The incident occurred on the same stretch of highway where a fatal Greyhound bus crash in 2024 claimed three lives.

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Superintendent Dean Cavanagh described the crash scene as “very confronting” and praised emergency crews for their rapid response.

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“This was a very complex incident, it was a very serious incident, and it was in an isolated area,” he said.

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“Although we tragically lost a life, I believe that effort that we saw absolutely went into saving many [more].”

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Premier David Crisafulli described the incident as a tragedy, expressing condolences for the woman who died and noting multiple patients were still fighting for life in hospital.

He declined to speculate the cause of the crash, but reiterated his commitment to improving safety on the Bruce Highway.

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“It’s a road that means everything to the state, and it’s a road that’s a long way short of where it should be.”

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