Coach taking families to Disneyland bursts into flames minutes after crash

The road was closed for hours after the crash near Oise, France Credit: @MatthieuNote

Families from the North East and Yorkshire travelling on a coach to Disneyland Paris had a miraculous escape after their coach burst into flames minutes after a crash involving three lorries in France.

Terrified parents hurried to get their young children to safety, leaving behind money, passports and clothes in their rush to escape.

Two people travelling in the lorries died in the crash in Oise at around 7:30pm yesterday.

Kayleigh Wilkinson was on board with her daughter Amelie Jade, 4. Credit: Kayleigh Wilkinson

Kayleigh Wilkinson, from Stockton, was on the coach with her daughter Amelie Jade, 4.

She told ITV News: "It was terrifying. The first impact when it [a lorry] hit sounded like a gunshot.

"We were just all in shock. We stood up and thought; 'what do we do?' Then we saw the lorry was on fire.

"We only had about five minutes to get everyone off the bus.

"If we hadn't have got off the bus in five minutes, it would have exploded with all of us on it. The fire was just spreading so fast."

More than 60 firefighters worked through the night to control flames. Credit: Sapeurs-pompiers de l'Oise @SDIS60
The road was closed for hours while emergency services cleared the site. Credit: Sapeurs-pompiers de l'Oise @SDIS60

All the passengers on board the coach were on a trip to Disneyland Paris organised by National Holidays.

The firm said they had worked through the night to get the passengers to their destination and arranged for money and supplies.

The coach was an hour from its destination when it was involved in the crash. Credit: Sapeurs-pompiers de l'Oise @SDIS60

The A1 autoroute motorway was closed for several hours while around 70 firefighters brought the flames under control.

The aftermath of the coach crash involving 40 British passengers. Credit: Sapeurs-pompiers de l'Oise @SDIS60

Kayleigh said: "I don't think I let myself panic. I didn't even break down until the last journey to the hotel. I think I wanted to stay strong mainly for the children.

"A lot of people have decided to go home but we're going to stay.

"It's my daughter's first holiday away, we've been waiting for it for a long time, it'll be one we'll never be able to forget."

A dedicated customer service team, set up to help those affected, can be contacted on 0844 4778000.