Fifteen people were taken to hospital after a No 24 bus veered into a pedestrian zone near Victoria station in central London on Thursday morning. The driver, passengers, and passersby were injured in the collision, which occurred at around 8.20am when the bus smashed into barriers.
Witnesses described harrowing scenes. Sam Genders, a maintenance worker, said: “It crashed into the barriers right in front of us. The bus driver crawled out the front covered in blood. All the glass was smashed. A lot of the passengers were injured.” His colleague Dave Short noted that emergency services arrived quickly, including an air ambulance, and added: “We were lucky. Lucky that no one was crushed underneath it.”
The London Ambulance Service treated 17 people, discharging two at the scene, with no fatalities. Mohammed Ali, a public safety officer, said he saw about seven injured people: “There was blood all over the place and passengers lying on the floor.” He reported initial concern about smoke from the bus, possibly from a damaged battery.
A large emergency response included the air ambulance, paramedics, and fire service. Police cordoned off a large area, and the road remained closed for several hours. The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation and appealed for witnesses. A trail of diesel fuel on Allington Street led to a smoking ban in the area for safety.
Transport for London’s Rosie Trew said: “Our thoughts are with the people who have been injured… We are working with the police and the operator, Transport UK, to urgently investigate this incident.”
