Two people killed, eight injured in bus crash south of Sydney

A bus carrying Taiwanese tourists slipped off a narrow mountain road south of Sydney and plunged down an embankment Monday, killing two people and seriously injuring eight, police said Tuesday.

The remainder of the 22 passengers, the driver and their guide were treated for lesser injuries and were discharged from hospitals late Monday, a police statement said Tuesday.

Police have yet to release the victims' identities.

Five rescue helicopters and a fleet of 14 ambulances took the injured to hospitals in Sydney and the nearby city of Wollongong, ambulance spokeswoman Jennifer Pedvin said.

The 24-seater bus towing a luggage trailer swerved off Jamberoo Mountain road, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Sydney, at midafternoon and rolled 10 meters (33 feet) down an embankment, landing upside down, rescue authorities said.

Hours later, the white bus was still upended on its roof with luggage strewn around the grassy bank. A body lay nearby covered by a white sheet.

An 18-year-old man and 56-year-old woman, both Taiwanese nationals, died at the scene, the police statement said.

Another eight tourists were seriously injured and were airlifted to hospitals in Sydney.

They suffered spinal, head and chest injuries, the statement said, reports the AP.