A German family is seeking answers about what caused a Greyhound bus to crash into a car on June 30, killing their family member, 21-year-old Aliya Tonga. Tonga was touring Australia on the bus when it hit a car that was towing another vehicle in the Whitsunday region of Queensland.
The bus was carrying 30 people, and Tonga was one of three who died. The other victims were Australian Emma Sailor, 56, and another woman from Germany who was not identified but was described as being in her 30s. The remaining 27 people aboard were injured but survived. The couple driving the other vehicle also survived.
Aliya Tonga’s body has been sent back to Germany and was buried in Wesel, her hometown, on July 18.
The bus was traveling north, away from Townsville toward Brisbane, when the accident occurred.
Tonga’s family wants to hear from other people who were on the bus or who witnessed the accident so they can try to piece together what took Tonga’s life. A cousin flew to Australia a few days after the tragedy to start investigating. Dilan Gungor posted on Facebook to say he had been to Australia before, but had just returned “for a different reason.” He asked readers to identify themselves if any among them were on the bus, or knew any of the passengers or crew on the bus who “might be able to answer” his questions.
Tonga’s uncle, Haki Baba, also took his message to social media, pleading with readers to come forward if they had any information on what caused the tragic crash. “We can’t do much from Germany,” he wrote when asking for help, so “please get in touch.”
The investigation is still ongoing, but so far detectives say they believe the bus went into the lane of opposing traffic. Those who saw the wreck take place give credit to the driver of the other vehicle, calling him a “hero” for taking quick action to maneuver his vehicle so that the collision was not even deadlier.
