July 25, 2011
PERTH, Australia (AFP) - A four-wheel-drive tour bus carrying mostly Singaporeans has rolled down a sand dune north of Perth in Australia, leaving five injured people in hospital on Monday, police said.
The driver and most of the 33 passengers aboard were injured and rushed to hospitals in Perth by helicopter or ambulance following the incident Sunday, when part of a dune collapsed under the vehicle.
Police said on Monday that five people remained in hospital, including one man in a critical condition with bleeding in the neck and a woman in a serious condition with a broken neck.
Three other tourists remain in a stable condition.
The Desert Storm 4WD Adventures bus, which has monster truck-style wheels and suspension, was attempting to reverse down a sand dune on the outskirts of Lancelin when it tipped onto its side.
"It's fortunate the vehicle is very purpose-built (for off-road driving)," senior constable Matt Tucker told reporters.
"It's lucky it wasn't going up a larger dune."
