A BEAMING bride and groom were pictured cutting their wedding cake just hours before a horror bus crash killed ten of their guests.
Madeleine Edsell and Mitchell Gaffney's "fairytale" day ended in devastation when the vehicle carrying around 40 attendees overturned on Sunday.
The couple had got hitched at Wandin Valley Estate in the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's major wine regions, before tragedy struck.
Just hours after they tied the knot, ten of their guests were killed and another 25 were injured as they travelled to their accomodation at around 11.30pm.
The coach carrying the group overturned at a roundabout on Wine Country Drive near the Hunter Expressway off-ramp at Greta.
Survivors of the shock crash remain in hospitals across the state, with one in critical condition after the 57-seat Volvo bus overturned when approaching the third exit of the roundabout.
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Passengers were hauled out of the front windscreen by emergency services as they desperately tried to save those trapped inside.
The bus driver, a 58-year-old man, was taken to hospital under police guard for mandatory testing and assessment, BNO reports.
He is under arrest at Cessnock police station, with cops saying he is currently in the process of being charged.
NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said: "We're investigating all avenues of driver behaviour."
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She said there was "sufficient information" to charge the driver and added: "He's under arrest.
"He's been the driver of a motor vehicle collision where there have been fatal injuries and there will be charges pending."
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb added that the driver was "currently in the charging process."
She said the crash site was a "very complex scene" and investigations are working to identify the victims.
"Our thoughts are with all those family affected by this," Webb said. "I can't imagine what they must be feeling."
Newlyweds Madeleine and Mitchell have been left grief-stricken after their big day ended in heartbreak.
Photos from inside the lavish wedding have since emerged, showing the couple excitedly cutting their cake at their reception.
Their MC, local reporter Alex Tigani, can be seen talking to the crowd via a microphone as a live band plays in the background.
It is understood that he is among the injured currently receiving care at the John Hunter Hospital.
He reportedly described the incident as a "war scene" during a phone call to his mother in the early hours of Monday morning.
Mr Tigani is understood to have hosted the wedding party for the "beautiful" couple, which around 100 people attended.
A shocked witness said: "It was a nice day, a pretty good wedding… fairy tale stuff really, it was a nice day, and we went to come back and get drunk, and we got the news that there had been a crash, and we all started panicking."
Madeleine arrived at the venue in a 1952 Beetle convertible, which her father painstakingly restored especially for the wedding.
Friends and family had gathered out on a pontoon overlooking a lake on the grounds to watch her and Mitchell say their I do's.
Guests then gathered in the gardens for a jubilant group photo.
The pair's celebrant shared a gushing social media post proclaiming she was "so happy to have married them" prior to the deadly crash.
Groom Mitchell is said to be a member of the local football club Singleton Roosters and several of his teammates were reportedly travelling on the bus.
Nine members of Warrandyte Cricket Club and their partners were also among those injured, according to the Daily Mail.
Club president Royce Jaksic said all of their players who attended the ceremony have been accounted for.
He said: "I think one has got a broken jaw, a couple have got broken collar bones.
"One lady has got maybe a back fracture but all of our people are accounted for."
Mr Jaksic told NCA NewsWire he had not been in contact with the bride and groom in wake of the incident.
He added: We’re giving them the space that they need and imagine in the years to come that your wedding anniversary has this to mar it."
"I think everyone is still in a bit of a state of shock, but the beautiful thing about the Warrandyte community is that it looks after its own and everyone seems to be banding together."
Police said 11 passengers were airlifted or rushed away in ambulances, while 25 others were also rushed to hospital.
Some of the wedding guests have now been flown to Sydney to receive further care after initially being taken to the John Hunter Hospital.
The cause of the fatal accident remains unknown, although the coach is reported to have "rolled" when travelling across the roundabout.
Some survivors in a stable condition have now provided witness statements as police work to piece together how the crash unfolded.
Police say the area had been masked by heavy fog at the time and believe the bus was travelling to Singleton, around 34 minutes away.
The owners of the local bus company, Linq, said they were "working with NSW Police and authorities" as investigations continue.
The firm – which offers charters for schools and events – said its vehicles were equipped with seatbelts.
Linq said in a statement: "We are incredibly saddened to learn of the bus crash that has occurred overnight.
"Our hearts are with everyone involved in this terrible tragedy and we send our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
"We would like to thank the first responders to the scene, the emergency personnel and those who are continuing to assist."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the tragedy as "so cruel and unfair" in a statement on Monday morning.
He said: "All of us know the joy of going to a wedding, a chance to celebrate dear friends and family.
"They are some of the happiest times that you can have. For a joyous day like that in a beautiful place to end with such terrible loss of life and injury is so cruel and so sad and so unfair.
"People hire a bus for weddings in order to keep their guests safe and that just adds to the unimaginable nature of this tragedy.
"The mental scars of this will not go away. They are there forever.
"When the spotlight leaves the care doesn't, for people who have witnessed this and for people who have experienced this tragedy firsthand."
The mayor of Cessnock, Jay Suvaal, described the news of the tragic crash as "truly horrific" and said it will "send shockwaves" through the community.
He told the Today programme: "It’s something that no one wants to wake up to.
"My thoughts are obviously with the people involved in the accident, but their family and friends, as well as the first responders on scene because it must have been truly horrible for them as well."
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A crime scene has been established which will be examined by specialist forensic police and the Crash Investigation Unit.
Flowers and tributes have been left at the scene today by mourners.
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