School children on their first excursion in three years have come home early after their bus veered off the road near Perisher in the Snowy Mountains, injuring seven people.
There were approximately 35 adults and children on board the bus on Monday evening travelling from Gunnedah near Tamworth on a school excursion.
Of the four children injured, two were taken to hospital and two were treated at the scene.
A woman in her 20s, a man in his 50s, and another woman in her 30s were also taken to hospital.
One child suffered a suspected broken collarbone while a teacher broke their ankle.
First excursion since beginning of pandemic
Rebecca Ryan, whose son Clancy was on the bus, said it was a shock to receive the news.
"It was certainly very nice to get that phone call that he was safe and well," Ms Ryan said.
For many of the students, this was their first excursion since COVID restrictions began when they were in year 3.
"We're building some resilient kids," Ms Ryan said.
"It's another tough thing for them that it's ended this way."
The children were meant to continue on to Canberra but returned home early.
"There are probably some very shaky 11 and 12-year-olds, and shaky 30 to 40-year-old parents too," Ms Ryan said.
'Really scary' for students
Other students from the same group in a second bus witnessed the accident but were not involved.
New South Wales Ambulance Inspector Jennifer Barker said paramedics arrived to find the bus had come off the road and gone down an embankment.
"This would have been a really scary experience for everyone involved, especially the children," Ms Barker said.
"Everyone did an excellent job in challenging conditions, which included snow, low light, and very low temperatures."
