Two dead after bus hits supermarket
TWO people, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed and at least seven others injured when a bus ploughed into a supermarket in Coventry last night.
The boy, said to be from Leamington, was on the upper deck of the bus.
A female pedestrian from Nuneaton, believed to be in her 70s, also died at the scene.
Six others, including another child, were taken to hospital, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Shocked locals described scenes of “absolute mayhem” as they tried to rescue children trapped under the seats on the top deck.
The bus, operated by Stagecoach, collided with parked cars and a lamppost before crashing into Sainsbury’s on Trinity Street Coventry at around 6pm.
Maneer Fiaz was getting some food from a shop opposite when he heard a “loud bang” and saw people running to the scene.
He said: “I came outside the shop and saw the bus was smashed into the cashpoint. I ran towards the driver and he was surprisingly alive.
“People were trying to get the driver out. The kids were trapped underneath the seats upstairs.
“We got the driver out through the window.
“People were running towards the scene trying to help people get out. The only thing on people’s minds was the two kids stuck on the top, they couldn’t get out of the bus.
“People were just waiting for the ambulance service to come.”
A video posted on Twitter showed the bus with its windows smashed and one woman screaming “oh my God, there is a kid pushing through the seat”.
An air ambulance, paramedics, five ambulances and a hazardous area response team attended the scene.
Sainsbury’s was open at the time, but it is unclear if anyone inside the store was hurt.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said no employees had been injured but could not confirm if customers were involved.
Police have launched an investigation.