04/01/2007

Fatal coach crash driver arrested

The driver of a National Express coach in which two people lost their lives, has been arrested by police on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

A man and a woman were killed and several people were seriously injured when the coach overturned on a sliproad leading from the M4 to the M25 in west London shortly before midnight on Wednesday night.

The coach left London Victoria to travel to Aberdeen at 22:30 on Wednesday night.

According to reports, 69 people were on board the coach, including the driver and co-driver and all of them are reported to have been taken to hospital. It is thought that at least nine people are in a serious condition in hospital following the crash and that three children were among those who were injured. It has also been reported that several of those who were injured have lost limbs.

Those who were injured were taken to six hospitals in both west and central London.

A spokesperson for Hillingdon Hospital, west London, said that 36 people had been admitted there. These included the two people who died, a 14-year-old boy and one person who had undergone an arm amputation.

One of the people who died is understood to be a woman in her 60s from the Dundee area.

The road where the accident occurred has been closed off. Investigations are continuing, although police have said that they do not believe that any other vehicles were involved in the accident.

A spokesperson for National Express said that it was likely that many of the passengers were returning from holiday and that there were certainly foreign nationals on board the coach when it left Heathrow Airport.

The coach has been removed from the scene for forensic examination.

(KMcA/SP)

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