What we know as school bus crash in Northern Ireland branded 'miracle' escape

A local MP has said it was a 'miracle' no one was killed or seriously injured in the crash in Co Down.

Site of a school bus crash in Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore, Co Down, Northern Ireland on 07/10/2024.
Paramedics, firefighters and police rushed to the scene near Carrowdore, Co Down. (Supplied)

An MP has said it was a "miracle" there were no deaths or serious injuries after a school bus overturned in Northern Ireland.

A "major incident" was declared after a school bus carrying 43 pupils and a driver came off the road and flipped over in a field in Co Down, Northern Ireland on Monday afternoon.

Four children remain in hospital after the incident with Jim Shannon, the MP for Strangford saying: "It is a miracle, an absolute miracle that there wasn’t worse injuries or, worse, fatalities.

“Every one of the pupils were traumatised by what has happened."

A major incident was declared on Monday as police and ambulance services attended the scene following reports a bus carrying pupils from Strangford College to Bangor on the Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore had crashed.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) described the incident as a “serious road traffic collision”, with the ambulance and fire services dispatching multiple teams to the crash site.

As well as paramedics, a specialist rescue team and five fire engines rushed to the scene – west of Belfast - along with police.

Emergency workers at the scene of a school bus crash on the Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore in Northern Ireland on Monday afternoon. Four people are being treated in hospital after the school bus overturned. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said 43 people and a driver were on the vehicle when it crashed in Co Down. Picture date: Monday October 7, 2024.
Emergency workers at the scene of the overturned coach. (Alamy)

Some people required medical treatment at the scene, with the mother of one teenager on board a different bus behind the one that crashed telling Yahoo News her son had been left "traumatised".

Four people were hospitalised and at least eight passengers received treatment at the scene. Shannon said the injuries included a pelvic injury, an arm injury, a leg injury and a hand injury.

Two people were rescued from the bus by firefighters using specialist cutting equipment.

Translink has said it is assisting the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) with their investigation, while the Education Authority has said it will work with Strangford College to provide support for any children affected by the events.

Plasterer Gary Smyth said he took a hammer from his work van and with a colleague broke through the glass windows to help the children to safety,

He told the BBC they "lifted the glass and we climbed in and we lifted the pupils out".

Smyth said: "Through the cracked glass, you could see the panic in their faces.

"They were crying and shouting for help, so we just attacked the glass like lunatics and we got them out."

Locates bus crash. See story ULSTER Bus. Infographic PA Graphics. An editable version of this graphic is available if required. Please contact graphics@pamediagroup.com.
(PA)

One parent of a teenager on the bus behind told Yahoo News he had been left "traumatised".

Tess, who didn't give her surname, said: "The police were able to get some of the students including my son on to a bus and escorted out, but a lot of buses are still delayed as the roads are blocked with emergency vehicles.

"It's a country road so diversions have been put in place. He's home safe now thankfully. He doesn't want to get back in a school bus though. He's traumatised as he saw a lot of injured school mates."

Another mother told how she could hear pupils screaming as she was on the phone with her 12-year-old son, Dylan Lee, a year eight student at Strangford Integrated College.

“I was on the top deck on the right hand side. I was just sitting with my friend. He is fine, he just hurt his arm," he said.

Dylan Lee, 12, a year eight pupil at Strangford Integrated College, and his mother Stacey Lee speak following the crash on the Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore, County Down. Dylan was on the bus when it crashed
Dylan Lee, 12, speaks with his mother Stacey Lee following the crash. (PA)

“The bus hit a post and it started to stall and went down this hill. It just started shaking. I closed my eyes and then I opened them and I was on the floor. The first thing I did when I got up was to phone my mum."

He added: “Then there was this guy came down with a hammer and the windows were all being smashed so we could get out. I was crawling under stuff like railings and school bags and stuff. It was on its side in the field.”

Dylan's mother, Stacey, said: "I could hear him screaming that he had crashed and I could hear all the kids in the background screaming. It was awful."

Police and rescue services have not confirmed what caused the bus to overturn or whether any other vehicles were involved in the incident.

While the exact cause of the accident is still unknown, local SDLP representative Will Polland said concerns had been raised multiple times about the road where the crash occurred.

He told the BBC: "First responders were on the scene as quick as possible and we are incredibly grateful for that.

Emergency workers at the scene of a  school bus crash on the Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore in Northern Ireland on Monday afternoon. Four people are being treated in hospital after the school bus overturned. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said 43 people and a driver were on the vehicle when it crashed in Co Down. Picture date: Monday October 7, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story ULSTER Bus. Photo credit should read: Mark Marlow                                /PA Wire
Emergency workers at the scene of a school bus crash on the Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore in Northern Ireland. (PA)

"This road has had concerns about it raised multiple times. I send all my prayers out to everyone involved in the incident. It is an absolute tragedy."

Shannon said he did not want to speculate on the reasons for the crash but said repairs had been carried out on the stretch of road where the accident occurred.

He added: “The main focus at this time is to make sure the children are all right."

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