RANGERS BUS DEATH CRASH
ONE FAN KILLED AND 17 HURT ON WAY TO GAME
ARANGERS fan died and 17 others were injured when their supporters’ bus crashed on its way to Ibrox. Police are investigating reports that the coach – hired by a fans’ group from Dumfriesshire’s Nith Valley – swerved as it crossed a roundabout near Kilmarnock before landing on its side on a grass verge.
The man who died, aged 39, was one of 36 passengers travelling to see Rangers play Partick Thistle in Saturday’s match in Glasgow. Police said the bus went off the A76 road at the Crossroads roundabout near Bowhouse Prison at around 1.15pm.
Student journalist Ryan Rowe, from Darvel, East Ayrshire, was driving to work when he passed the crash scene.
He said: “It must have happened just five minutes before I got there. Within two minutes the fire service, ambulance and police all turned up. There were still people trapped inside.”
Rowe added: “One man I spoke to was just sitting down and in tears and he was shaking. He said the bus had swerved.
“Another young man had cuts all over his arm and blood all the way down it. He was holding it in the air to try and stop the bleeding. Two or three windows on the bus had been smashed and when I was there paramedics were still trying to get people out of the other side that the bus was lying on.”
He said many of the passengers appeared to be in their teens or early twenties.
The bus was understood to be carrying members of the Nith Valley Loyal supporters club. It issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying: “The club would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and concern at this sad time. Our members would now appreciate if they could be left alone to come to terms with what’s happened.”
Scotland’s football community set aside rivalry to express horror that a fan had died on their way to a match. Rangers assistant manager Davie Weir said: “Obviously there are things more important than football. Until we get all the details, I think it would be unwise to comment.
“But our thoughts are with the people involved, the families involved, and I’m sure the club will be very supportive in regards to anything they can do to help the situation.”
Rangers’ arch rivals Celtic issued a statement expressing their “sincere condolences”. The club added: “We understand a significant number of people have been affected and our thoughts are very much with them at what will be a difficult time for all these supporters and their families.”
Police Scotland said in a statement: “We can confirm a 39-year-old man has died following a serious coach crash on the A76 near Crossroads roundabout.
“Eighteen people are receiving treatment in hospital, three of whom are in a serious condition. This includes seven men under 20 years of age, three men and three women aged between 30 and 59 and five men over 60. A report will be prepared for the procurator fiscal.”
Earlier, police said three people be- ing treated in hospital were in a serious condition. A screen has been erected around part of the damaged coach.
John Linton, a photographer who was at the scene, said it appeared the coach had either skidded into the verge or caught the camber of the roundabout and been left on its side.
He said: “They have screened it off, so that would suggest there was something pretty bad down there. There’s a screen at the rear end of the coach. There were smashed windows and an emergency door at the back was broken.”
Emergency services remained at the scene and the road has been closed in both directions while crash scene investigators carry out inquiries.
Inspector Darren Faulds said: “Inquiries are ongoing to establish the cause of the crash and anyone with any information is asked to call road policing officers at Irvine Police Office on 101.”