Gumlu bus crash: Tourist injured in deadly accident claims driver warned passengers vehicle was ‘not the best’

‘We felt unsafe most of the way.’

A survivor of a deadly bus crash which killed a young tourist has claimed the driver warned passengers the vehicle was “not the best one” before it allegedly began moving erratically and rolled off the road.

Chilean tourist Barbara Goncalves told 7NEWS exclusively passengers felt unsafe for much of the journey, alleging the coach braked harshly and drifted between lanes before the crash.

A charter bus travelling from Cairns to Airlie Beach with 29 people on board left the Bruce Hwy at Gumlu, north of Bowen, about 4pm on Thursday.

The bus rolled onto its side on a creek embankment, killing 26-year-old Argentine-Italian tourist Serena Andreatta and injuring every other passenger onboard.

Goncalves and her partner Hernan had spent weeks travelling through Japan before the crash.

Goncalves said passengers felt unsafe during much of the journey before the fatal crash.Goncalves said passengers felt unsafe during much of the journey before the fatal crash. Credit: 7NEWS Barbara Goncalves and her partner Hernan had spent weeks travelling through Japan before flying to Queensland.Barbara Goncalves and her partner Hernan had spent weeks travelling through Japan before flying to Queensland. Credit: Supplied

Videos and photos shared with 7NEWS show the couple admiring Mt Fuji, visiting shrines and riding the bullet train before flying to Queensland for the final leg of their journey to Hamilton Island.

Goncalves claimed the driver made concerning comments about the vehicle hours before the crash.

“He told me this bus is not the best one,” she said.

“But (he said) ‘it’s OK. It’s going to be OK’.”

“We felt unsafe most of the way.

“We had this feeling that something was going to happen.

“Now I regret. I should’ve said something to him.”

Emergency crews rushed to the Bruce Hwy after the tourist coach rolled onto its side near Gumlu.Emergency crews rushed to the Bruce Hwy after the tourist coach rolled onto its side near Gumlu. Credit: 7NEWS Goncalves and her partner Hernan suffered injuries in the rollover that killed a fellow passenger.Goncalves and her partner Hernan suffered injuries in the rollover that killed a fellow passenger. Credit: Supplied

Queensland Police previously said all passengers onboard were tourists visiting the Whitsundays region, with the majority from overseas.

“It’s horrible because we are far from our family,” Goncalves said through tears.

“We don’t have any support here, so it’s hard.”

Speaking about fellow passengers after the crash, Goncalves said: “You could see how sad they were. How alone they felt.”

Two passengers were initially fighting for life, but survivors are now in stable conditions.

“It was a very complex incident, a very serious incident,” Mackay Whitsunday Superintendent Dean Cavanagh said on Friday.

“A lady has lost her life, it’s a real tragedy.”

FlixBus, the company whose platform listed the coach service, said safety was “the highest priority” and the company “goes beyond legal requirements”.

The company said it thoroughly trains drivers, monitors rest times and enforces strict standards.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has promised “a thorough, independent and detailed assessment as to what went wrong”.