Two die and eight hurt as bus crashes into packed store

TWO people died last night after a double-decker bus ploughed into a busy supermarket.

An elderly woman pedestrian and an eight-year-old boy, a passenger on the top deck of the bus, died when the vehicle smashed into the Sainsbury’s store in Coventry city centre at 6pm.

Several people, including children, were trapped on the bus while others were taken to hospital, with at least eight people confirmed to be injured.

Witnesses watched in horror as several shoppers were mown down by the vehicle as it careered into the shop.

Youth worker Harron Mota, 29, said: ‘It was horrific, absolute carnage. My friend saw an old woman get hit and I think she died. It was terrible.’

Another eyewitness, Maneer Fiaz, told Sky News the crash scene was ‘mayhem’.

He said: ‘I was getting food from the shop opposite and I heard a loud bang. I looked outside, saw people running towards the bus, it was smashed into the cashpoint. I ran towards the driver and he was alive. People were trying to get him out. The kids were trapped underneath the seats upstairs. It was chaos.’

A child was among the casualties taken for emergency treatment, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

A spokesman added: ‘Five people have been taken to University Hospital Coventry. A child has been taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Two people have been assessed and discharged at the scene.’

A dramatic video posted on Twitter showed the bus with its windows smashed as people screamed and tried to help people trapped inside. It showed a woman screaming: ‘There’s a kid pushing through the seat.’

‘A number of people were trapped on the top deck; three are seriously injured and five others have more minor injuries,’ a West Midlands Police spokesman said.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘We have no colleagues injured.’

Police have begun an investigation into the cause and road closures were in place last night.

‘It was horrific, absolute carnage’