School bus hits 2 camels and skids down embankment in deadly crash, Australia cops say

A school bus driver on his morning route died after he crashed into a pair of escaped camels, according to news outlets and police in Queensland, Australia.

It happened at about 5 a.m. Monday, June 5, in on a rural road in Livingstone Shire, Queensland, police said in a news release.

The driver was headed to pick up students when he hit the animals and skidded down an embankment, investigators told Sky News Australia. The animals are thought to have escaped through a fence at The Big Camel farm, which isn’t far from where the crash occurred, the outlet reported.

The driver, a man in his 40s, died at the scene, police said. He was the only person on board.

“It’s a tragic day for the family and friends,” Detective Inspector Luke Peachey told the Australian Associated Press. “Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of that bus driver.”

The two camels were also killed, police said.

Camel racer and breeder John Richardson said he was “devastated” after learning his animals had been hit, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

“I’ve never had a gate come off like that,” Richardson told the station after finding one off its hinges. “I couldn’t work (it) out … they don’t try to get out (normally).”

Police said the crash remains under investigation.

Livingstone Shire is about 405 miles northwest of Brisbane.

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