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| Inquiry after fatal coach crash | Inquiry after fatal coach crash |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Crash investigators have been at the scene where a coach crashed down an embankment, killing one and injuring 70 others in Staffordshire. | |
| The vehicle collided with a car, crashed through a wall and ended up in a garden in Alton, near Alton Towers theme park, just before 1800 BST. | The vehicle collided with a car, crashed through a wall and ended up in a garden in Alton, near Alton Towers theme park, just before 1800 BST. |
| Those aboard were from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and South Africa and are thought to be from Peterborough. | |
| Two people with head injuries were flown to hospital. | |
| The man who died was 26 years old and from Poland, police said. | The man who died was 26 years old and from Poland, police said. |
| The passengers are reported to have been on a trip to Alton Towers. | |
| Murray MacGregor, of West Midlands Ambulance Service, said the coach driver, a man from Lincolnshire, was also seriously injured. | Murray MacGregor, of West Midlands Ambulance Service, said the coach driver, a man from Lincolnshire, was also seriously injured. |
| "The vast majority of the injured have gone back to their homes," he said. | "The vast majority of the injured have gone back to their homes," he said. |
| One woman was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, while another man and woman were taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent, also with head injuries. | One woman was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham, while another man and woman were taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent, also with head injuries. |
| Police, ambulance and fire services explain their rescue efforts | |
| "Seven or so people suffered broken bones and serious cuts and 20 more had minor injuries," he added. | "Seven or so people suffered broken bones and serious cuts and 20 more had minor injuries," he added. |
| A temporary treatment centre was set up at Alton Towers and the theme park provided transport for the injured to get there. | A temporary treatment centre was set up at Alton Towers and the theme park provided transport for the injured to get there. |
| "For our crews and the fire service and police it was a busy, difficult operation," he said. | "For our crews and the fire service and police it was a busy, difficult operation," he said. |
| "The language barriers made it difficult as did the sheer numbers. | "The language barriers made it difficult as did the sheer numbers. |
| "One of our drivers said it was absolutely tipping down and heavy rain never makes it any easier." | "One of our drivers said it was absolutely tipping down and heavy rain never makes it any easier." |
| The vehicle involved in the crash was owned by Decker Bus, based in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire the company said today. | |
| Ch Insp John Maddox, from Staffordshire Police, said officers were trying to establish what caused the crash. | Ch Insp John Maddox, from Staffordshire Police, said officers were trying to establish what caused the crash. |
| "The bus was coming down a steep hill towards the bridge at the bottom, and from what I can see at the scene, that bus has not managed to go round the bend, and has careered through a wall and down a drop into a garden," he said. | "The bus was coming down a steep hill towards the bridge at the bottom, and from what I can see at the scene, that bus has not managed to go round the bend, and has careered through a wall and down a drop into a garden," he said. |
| Vehicle underneath | |
| The coach is now lying on a slope, at the bottom of a garden. Another vehicle is thought to be underneath it. | |
| The bus also collided with two stationary vehicles before it left the road. | |
| Vehicle examiners are at the scene to establish exactly how the crash happened. | |
| "We can't get that information from the driver as he is critically injured," he said. | |
| All people on the coach have been accounted for, he added. | All people on the coach have been accounted for, he added. |
| Two air ambulances, 10 land ambulances, five rapid response vehicles and five fire engines were sent to the scene. | Two air ambulances, 10 land ambulances, five rapid response vehicles and five fire engines were sent to the scene. |
| Ian Sloss, a spokesman for the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the scene was very difficult. | Ian Sloss, a spokesman for the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the scene was very difficult. |
| "There's a bus in a difficult situation which crews have had to secure and obviously the crews are working very hard in difficult circumstances," he said. | "There's a bus in a difficult situation which crews have had to secure and obviously the crews are working very hard in difficult circumstances," he said. |
| Terri Peachey, whose garden the coach crashed into, said she heard a sound "like thunder" when the accident happened and found injured people "bleeding", screaming and "laying on the floor crying" in her garden. | Terri Peachey, whose garden the coach crashed into, said she heard a sound "like thunder" when the accident happened and found injured people "bleeding", screaming and "laying on the floor crying" in her garden. |
| Proposals have been made for alternative routes, but nothing's ever been built David Hughes Villagers tell of crash fears | Proposals have been made for alternative routes, but nothing's ever been built David Hughes Villagers tell of crash fears |
| "It all happened so quickly," she said, adding that the coach landed metres from her house. | "It all happened so quickly," she said, adding that the coach landed metres from her house. |
| Bradley Ford, who lives at the nearby Alton Bridge Hotel, told BBC News he had helped with casualties. | Bradley Ford, who lives at the nearby Alton Bridge Hotel, told BBC News he had helped with casualties. |
| He said: "I heard this massive crash, rumble, of either crunching metal or what sounded to me initially as a thunderstorm as it was heavily raining before. | He said: "I heard this massive crash, rumble, of either crunching metal or what sounded to me initially as a thunderstorm as it was heavily raining before. |
| Walking wounded | Walking wounded |
| "Then after that we heard shouts and screams so we obviously put it down to a crash. | "Then after that we heard shouts and screams so we obviously put it down to a crash. |
| "When I got to the scene there was a bus overturned, it looked like it had ploughed into a car and then down a neighbour's driveway into the garden. | "When I got to the scene there was a bus overturned, it looked like it had ploughed into a car and then down a neighbour's driveway into the garden. |
| "It must have dropped about 20ft (6m). It was on a slope, it's diagonal, not head-first." | "It must have dropped about 20ft (6m). It was on a slope, it's diagonal, not head-first." |
| He added: "There were people climbing out of the fire exits on the bus. There were many walking wounded, all being seen to by the ambulance staff." | He added: "There were people climbing out of the fire exits on the bus. There were many walking wounded, all being seen to by the ambulance staff." |
| The passengers were foreign workers [BBC exclusive pic from Karen Taylor] | |
| The collision happened on Station Road, between Alton and the theme park, which is about one mile away. | The collision happened on Station Road, between Alton and the theme park, which is about one mile away. |
| Margaret Grice, who lives near the scene, said some of the injured banged on her front door. | Margaret Grice, who lives near the scene, said some of the injured banged on her front door. |
| She said: "I went to the front door and there was... there was about 12 to 15 people, all crying hysterically, blood running down their faces and their arms and... they couldn't speak English but they were able to say "accident, accident" so at that point I then rang 999." | She said: "I went to the front door and there was... there was about 12 to 15 people, all crying hysterically, blood running down their faces and their arms and... they couldn't speak English but they were able to say "accident, accident" so at that point I then rang 999." |
| Martin Bredda, who lives close to the scene of the crash, described the road as "an accident waiting to happen". | Martin Bredda, who lives close to the scene of the crash, described the road as "an accident waiting to happen". |
| "It's a narrow country road. It's mayhem, absolute mayhem. We had a torrential downpour of rain just before it happened. | "It's a narrow country road. It's mayhem, absolute mayhem. We had a torrential downpour of rain just before it happened. |
| "I was in the local pub when someone came in screaming for blankets and sheets. | "I was in the local pub when someone came in screaming for blankets and sheets. |
| "We all went to help but the area had been cordoned off by police." | "We all went to help but the area had been cordoned off by police." |
| Did you witness the crash? Send us your eye witness accounts using the form below. | Did you witness the crash? Send us your eye witness accounts using the form below. |