The school bus overturned on the lawn. Around doctors who rescue children some stunned. These are the images of the accident that took place in Australia. Eighteen children aged 5 and 11 were injured, seven are very serious. The accident was caused by a truck that hit the back of the school bus while trying to turn, causing it to tip over on the side of the road. The 45 students at Exford Primary School were returning home after an athletics competition at another primary school.

AP Photo

Australia, school bus has an accident in the suburbs of Melbourne

In a statement today, police in the state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne, said 18 children and the bus driver were taken to hospital.

Seven of the children are very serious and are in intensive care, with "multiple traumatic injuries, including arm amputations, multiple crushing injuries to the limbs or severe lacerations to the head and body," Bernadette McDonald, director of the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital, told reporters.

In addition, three of them "are receiving spinal support and are being monitored closely in terms of spinal injuries," McDonald said.

Authorities have brought four charges of "dangerous driving causing serious injury" against the 49-year-old truck driver, who will appear this afternoon via video conference at a hearing at Melbourne's Magistral Court.

Commenting on the tragedy, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his condolences for the victims and their families at this "extraordinarily difficult time". "Any accident of this nature is horrible. The fact that it involves students breaks your heart and my heart goes out to them and their families," he said.