Children among 41 injured as coach overturns on motorway
A COACH carrying children overturned on the M25 yesterday causing rush-hour disruption and leaving 41 people injured.
The crash, at Junction 3 near Swanley in Kent, resulted in three people being taken to hospital with serious injuries, while 38 were treated for minor injuries. Seven children were among those hurt, South East Coast Ambulance Service said.
After the accident, the Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington, Kent, was put on major incident alert, a spokesman said.
Two anti-clockwise lanes of the motorway were closed, as was the exit slip road, causing major delays at one of the busiest times of the day. Traffic queues stretched back five miles, the Highways Agency said, and a baby was born on the carriageway during the delays.
Police, ambulance and fire services were called to the scene just before 4pm yesterday. A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters used cutting gear to free two people. Three fire engines and “several vehicles from the heavy rescue team” were sent out “as a precaution”, he added. The force later said all people aboard the coach were accounted for and a number of people had received treatment at the scene for minor injuries before being conveyed to local hospitals.
Police said that while specialist recovery for the coach had been arranged, it was expected the slip road would remain closed for some time.