In brief
On a Friday afternoon on King Island, a Toyota HiAce passenger van lost traction on loose gravel, overturned, and landed back on its wheels, injuring ten seniors. Three passengers were airlifted to Melbourne, three were transferred to the Royal Hobart Hospital, and the remaining four were discharged after treatment at a local facility. Tasmanian police said the vehicle failed to negotiate a bend and was unable to maintain grip on the embankment.
A Toyota HiAce minivan transporting ten elderly tourists from mainland Australia suffered a rollover on South Road in the southern part of King Island at about 4:20 p.m. local time Friday, according to Tasmania Police. The crash took place on a gravel stretch in Pearshape, where the vehicle lost traction as it approached a bend and tumbled down an adjacent embankment before pivoting over and settling on its wheels.
The van carried passengers all aged from the mid‑seventies to the eighties, all of whom were injured. The impact left them with a range of injuries that required immediate medical attention and transportation to hospitals outside the island.
Three of the passengers were flown to Melbourne in the evening, while three others were brought to the Royal Hobart Hospital for evaluation and treatment. The remaining four passengers received care at a local hospital and were subsequently discharged after their injuries were treated.
Initial investigations released by police suggested that the vehicle could not negotiate the road bend because of the loose gravel surface, which caused the loss of traction. The roll‑over occurred when the van descended the embankment, collided with the roadside, and then rebounded onto its wheels.
King Island is a remote community in Tasmania’s southern waters, accessible by ferry and a network of rough, gravel roads. Pearshape lies near the island’s southernmost point, where the terrain drops sharply and traffic is generally light but may be treacherous during wet or loose‑gravel conditions.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, performing basic rescue and stabilization on the scene before evacuating passengers by helicopter and ambulance, according to the police statement. The incident prompted a review of the road’s gravel paving and safety signage in the area, although no immediate changes have been announced.
Police have not yet released a formal traffic safety report, but the statement emphasized that the primary cause was traction loss on loose gravel as the vehicle attempted to turn a bend at normal operating speeds.
