Children hurt as double decker school bus collides with bridge in Winchester

  • Hampshire

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers

Three children have been taken to hospital after a double-decker school bus collided with a railway bridge in Winchester.

The three children are being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries and another 13 were tended to at the scene of the crash in Wellhouse Lane.

All the students involved are aged between 11 and 16.

Police were called at 8.10am after the bus collided with the bridge, causing "significant damage" to the top of the bus.

The scene of the crash. Credit: Dan Rivers/Twitter

A spokesperson for Hampshire police said there were three children who sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries, that were taken to hospital.

It was also confirmed that 12 other schoolchildren received minor injuries with two taken to hospital for treatment.

ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers spoke to a parent of two children who sustained minor head injuries. One received an injury to the leg.

He claimed that the driver of the bus was new and unfamiliar with the route.

The school children were all from Henry Beaufort School, the parent said, and that 57 of them on the bus received no injury.

Inspector Tester, at the scene, would not comment on the cause of the crash.

"We're obviously going to investigate how the crash happened," he told ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers. "What we do know is the roof of the bus collided with the brick parapet and obviously we're going to want to know why that happened."

He added it could have been an "extremely serious incident".

"Lives could have been lost today," he said. I'm very, very thankful that none have. This is a good outcome in that no one has been seriously injured or killed."

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: "A road closure is in place on Well House Lane from the junction with Andover Road North to School Lane to enable us to deal with this incident. We thank you for your patience.

"We are working in cooperation with the school and Hampshire County Council children’s services to provide support to the students and their parents."