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Driver killed after coach carrying British schoolchildren crashes in Belgium Driver killed as coach carrying British schoolchildren crashes in Belgium
(35 minutes later)
A coach driver from Northern Ireland has been killed and his assistant seriously injured after the vehicle carrying pupils and staff from Brentwood school in Essex crashed in Belgium. A coach driver was killed and a 13-year-old boy suffered a fractured skull when the vehicle carrying 34 British schoolchildren crashed in Belgium.
One child is in intensive care in hospital after suffering a head injury, a spokesman for the school said. Brentwood School in Essex confirmed that the coach was carrying children aged between 11 and 13, and that one child was in intensive care after suffering a head injury.
The coach, which was carrying 34 schoolchildren and their teachers on a language trip, overturned on the A18/E40 motorway that runs to the Channel ferry ports and Channel tunnel, trapping the passengers for a short period. Six teachers were on the coach, which was travelling to Cologne in Germany when it crashed into a bridge in Middelkerke, West Flanders, and came off the road. Photographs show it lying on its side with the front completely destroyed.
It is understood that all passengers have now been rescued, and that three pupils and two teachers were taken hospital. Those who escaped injury were taken to a nearby swimming pool. One teacher is thought to have broken a collar bone in the accident, which happened at about 9.45am local time (8.45am BST). The school’s head, Ian Davies, said: “All of the children managed to walk off the coach. One of the children had a head injury. He had a scan and they found a small brain bleed as part of his fractured skull.”
The children are believed to be year seven and eight pupils. They were setting out on a four-day trip and had left the school at 4am on Sunday. The coach is owned by Richmond Coaches of Ballinderry Road, Lisburn, in Northern Ireland. A company spokesman confirmed it employed only Northern Irish drivers.
The accident happened near the town of Middelkerke in West Flanders at 9.45am local time (8.45am BST). A major rescue operation was mounted and the road closed. Pictures showed the bus lying on its side. He added that it was now trying to establish the identity of the driver and his assistant, adding: “Any incident involving a coach crash like this is clearly a tragedy.”
Unconfirmed eyewitness reports suggest the bus crashed into the central reservation and then into a pillar of a bridge. The coach, which was carrying children and their teachers on a language trip, overturned on the A18/E40 motorway, which runs to the Channel ferry ports and Channel tunnel, trapping the passengers for a short period before they were rescued. Three pupils and two teachers were taken to hospital. Those who escaped injury were taken to a nearby swimming pool.
The vehicle belonged to Richmond Coaches, based in Lisburn, County Antrim. A man who answered the firm’s out-of-hours line described the crash as an “awful tragedy”, according to the Daily Mirror. “I can confirm that it was one of our coaches. We are working with the authorities,” he said. “Obviously it is an awful time for both families and the coach firm staff.” The children are believed to be year seven and eight pupils from the private school, which takes day and boarding pupils. They were setting out on a four-day trip and had left the school at 4am on Sunday.
The school is now working with the Foreign Office to try to get the children home as soon as possible. A spokesman for the department said it was working with the Belgian authorities to establish details of the incident.
In a statement, the school said: “We have been informed that the driver was killed in the collision and his assistant has been severely injured. Our thoughts are clearly with his family and all the families of the pupils and teachers involved. Two senior members of staff have travelled to Belgium this morning and as soon as we have more information we will inform everyone involved.”
A school spokeswoman said that other children had been lucky to escape with less serious injuries, some suffering broken bones and cuts.
Davies also sent his condolences to the family of the coach driver, adding that he did not know whether the school had used the company before. The head said he wanted to thank and congratulate all the teachers who were there in what was a “terribly difficult situation”, adding: “And some of them are actually quite badly injured.”
The tour was organised by the NST group, a company that organises school trips.The tour was organised by the NST group, a company that organises school trips.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was aware of the crash and was working with the Belgian authorities to establish further details. Brentwood School dates back to 1557 and is set in more than 72 acres in the centre of the town.