3 locals dead, 12 Australians injured in bus collision in Vanuatu

Three locals have been killed and 12 Australian tourists injured after two buses collided in Vanuatu's capital of Port Vila, local media reported Tuesday.

The Australian tourists who had arrived on a cruise ship were on board a bus for one day tour when their chartered bus hit a local bus head-on earlier this week, according to Pasifik News.

One of the buses veered to the wrong side of the road just seconds before the impact, witnesses said.

Three locals, including a bus driver, a pregnant woman who was eight months pregnant and another person, were confirmed dead. The unborn baby also died.

Two local guides and 12 Australian tourists were injured, and 10 of them have been airlifted to New Caledonia and Australia. The two local guides remained in a hospital in Port Vila, police said.

There will be a full investigation into the incident, the Vanuatu government said. Endit