A student has described the moment a double-decker bus he was on board crashed into a river, seriously injuring five people.
Several teenagers and the driver were trapped inside the vehicle after it veered off the road in Eastleigh, Hampshire.
The bus was taking 19 students to Barton Peveril Sixth Form College when it came off Bishopstoke Road and ended in the River Itchen, at around 10am on Thursday.
A witness said the driver told them the bus had suffered mechanical failure and the brakes had stopped working.
One of the students on board, called Freddie Sampson, told of the moment of the crash, and the panic that ensued after.
“We ran into a lamp-post and the whole windscreen shattered,” Freddie Sampson told the BBC.
“It was like we couldn’t stop and had to weave through traffic trying not to hit any cars and then the bus driver lost control – we went flying into the river.
“It was all a bit manic. No-one really knew what was going on. I looked out the front to see people moving out of the way, like cars out the front… I looked round… they were all confused and scared.”
In a video of the incident, a student on board the bus can be heard saying: “Oh my god, we are going to die, we’re actually going to die” before screaming can be heard and the footage ends.
Kelly West, who lives nearby and rushed to the scene, said the driver had told her the brakes had failed and the accelerator jammed.
“I heard some noise, looked out of the window and he just came careening into the river,” she said.
Ms West said people were shouting and she found the driver trapped.
She said: “I told him to stop panicking, help was on its way, and he said the brakes failed and the accelerator was jammed and that he was trying to avoid cars.”
Inspector Andy Tester, of Hampshire Constabulary, said five people were taken to hospital for treatment.
Two of those – the driver and a passenger – had injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, while 14 others, with less serious injuries, were treated at the scene, he said. A total of 19 people were hurt.
“It must have been terrifying, and my thoughts are very much with the children and the driver on the bus, who must have had a terrifying experience,” he said.
Mr Tester praised the bravery of passers-by and emergency services in freeing those trapped.
The mother of one student said she panicked on hearing about the crash but praised the driver’s actions.
Gabriela McInnes Perez Cabrera wrote on Facebook: “My son has just arrived from college. One of his friends sustained a minor injury and went to class after the accident.
“My son showed me a video taken by one student when the bus couldn’t stop. They were so scared, the poor ones.
“I think the bus driver did their best and pulled to the river instead of going ahead as they were entering a more populated area.”
Another mother said on hearing the news she felt nervous and also panicked.
“I rushed straight here as quick as I could but I couldn’t get to my daughter. I’m panicking until I get to see her,” the woman, identified only as Annabel, told the BBC.
Police said removing the badly damaged bus, which had ended up in the water below the road level, would be a complex operation.
Richard Tyldsley, general manager of bus company Bluestar, said: “Our thoughts are with everybody involved, and we wish those who were injured a full and speedy recovery.
“At this time, we do not know the circumstances behind this incident and are carrying out an immediate investigation. We are also assisting the police as they carry out their own inquiries.”
