The crash happened near Stonehaven, about 10km west of Geelong in Victoria’s south, at about 8.20am, causing the closure of the highway.

Year 7 student Milla Killeen has been identified by Geelong Christian College as the young girl who died. A boy was also flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The school released a photo of Killeen, who was 12 years old and from Teesdale.

“Milla will be remembered for her beautiful personal qualities, her vibrancy and infectious personality. Her kindness, warmth and joy impacted all who shared her company,” a Facebook tribute posted by the school read.

“Milla was a keen and talented basketballer, and an integral part of the Christian College representative team at the recent State Championships.

“She was a treasured member of our College community, and her loss is deeply felt by all staff, students and our Christian College families.”

Executive principal Mathilda Joubert said it is a time of unimaginable loss for the school community.

“Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with Milla’s family and our college will continue to provide ongoing support.

“In our deep grief, we are also coming together as a community to support one another, drawing strength from God, and the care and compassion that Milla herself demonstrated to others.”

Christian College Geelong executive principal Mathilda Joubert said Milla, 12, will be remembered for her beautiful personal qualities, her vibrancy and infectious personality. PHOTO: Facebook/CCG

The bus was making a turn at a bend onto the Hamilton Highway when it hit a railing and rolled, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Lineham said.

There were 28 school students on board, ranging up to secondary school age, who were on their way back to Geelong Christian College.

Two children were in the Royal Children’s Hospital while nine were in University Hospital Geelong suffering broken bones and skull fractures to milder injuries, Education Minister Ben Carroll confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.

The 76-year-old driver was also injured but has been released from hospital and is assisting police, while detectives await the results of drug and alcohol tests.

First responders faced a confronting scene when they arrived, Lineham said.

“Any life lost on the road is one life too many, and particularly confronting and challenging when there’s children involved,” he told reporters.

Investigators are looking into what caused the incident and will assess the driver’s competency to drive and whether fatigue, drugs and alcohol or medical conditions played a role.

The bus will also be mechanically examined and detectives will look at the corner and what role the weather played in the crash.

Lineham said the bus had seatbelts but investigators are yet to determine where each passenger was sitting at the time.

“The seatbelts will form part of the investigation as to whether they were worn or not,” he said.

Ambulance Victoria manager David Shearer said several students were assessed and treated for injuries, including abrasions and bruises, before they were released back to the school.

“It’s a really confronting day for those kids going to school as they would normally do,” Shearer said.

“It’s a really challenging thing to deal with, and there’s going to be difficult days to come.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said her thoughts were with the students and their families.

“We stand ready to support you in every way we can,” she said.

The incident will affect many in the tight-knit Geelong community, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said.

The crash comes after 18 students from Exford Primary School were hospitalised, with seven children seriously injured, when a truck crashed into the back of their school bus in May 2023, just 900 metres from the school and about 44 kilometres west of the Melbourne CBD.

In June that year, 10 wedding guests were killed and another 25 were injured when their coach rolled near Greta in the Hunter Valley.

A school bus carrying 31 students and teachers from Loreto College Ballarat, on its way to the airport to take the teens on a NASA space camp, rolled down an embankment off the Western Freeway at Bacchus Marsh, after it was allegedly rear-ended in 2022. 

The matter, which is still before the courts, resulted in three passengers allegedly being ejected from the bus and the rest being trapped in their seatbelts.

The crashes sparked renewed debate over bus safety and how this could have been improved with seatbelts.

AAP