A husband and wife in their 70s are the first Australian victims from a fatal bus crash in Vanuatu to arrive home on a Medical Rescue flight.
The couple arrived soon after 3pm at Brisbane Airport on Tuesday and are being transported to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.
"One had a fractured leg, one had a fractured arm," Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) senior operations supervisor Matthew Green said.
"They're okay. They seem fairly happy, albeit a bit broken and bruised."
Emergency staff tend to the injured after the bus crash in Vanuatu's capital of Port Vila. Source: AAP
Two more aircraft, ferrying injured passengers, are due to arrive on Tuesday afternoon.
Ten Australians were seriously hurt in the head-on crash involving their tour bus and a local commuter bus in the capital, Port Vila, which resulted in three locals being killed.
Three passengers were airlifted to a hospital in Noumea for emergency care while others were looked after in Port Vila and on board P&O's Pacific Dawn cruise ship.
An 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital in Noumea with head injuries, Carnival Australia boss Ann Sherry told reporters in Sydney. The child, his sibling and mother, are now on their way to Brisbane.
"It's been a terrible incident, obviously, and we have done everything we can to support and ensure that families receive the care they need," she said.
Carnival Australia also denied suggestions the driver may have been speeding or was drunk, adding that it would suspend dealings with the tour company involved pending an investigation.
Emergency staff tending to people following the bus crash in Vanuatu's capital of Port Vila (AAP) Source: AAP
Vanuatu promises full investigation
Vanuatu's Public Utilities Minister Jotham Napat has promised a full investigation.
"The Vanuatu government is committed to ensuring safety on our roads. We recently announced plans to strengthen our road rules to meet tougher international standards," he said in a statement.
He said the government had been working with the tourism industry since coming to power to improve traffic conditions and standards for visitors and locals.
"Tourism is one of our most important industries and it is a priority of our government to ensure our visitors enjoy all Vanuatu has to offer."
P&O says the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to a group of cruise ship passengers following a fatal bus crash in Vanuatu.
Related reading
Tourists return to Vanuatu three months after Cyclone Pam
Supplied image obtained Tuesday, June 21, 2016 of the scene of a tour bus crash in Vanuatu's capital of Port Vila. (AAP) Source: AAP
