A 10-year-old boy has died after a school coach overturned on Exmoor, Somerset, on Thursday afternoon. The coach, carrying 60 to 70 passengers from Minehead Middle School, was returning from a trip to Exmoor Zoo when it flipped onto its roof and plunged 20ft down an embankment between Wheddon Cross and Timberscombe.
Police confirmed the fatality on Friday, adding that four children and three adults remain in hospital in Somerset, while two children are being treated at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children after being airlifted. The coach driver is in a stable condition with injuries. Twenty-one passengers were taken to hospital, some with serious injuries. The coach was the only vehicle involved.
The school, part of the Beacon Education multi-academy trust, was closed on Friday along with five other schools in the trust. Headteacher Laura Mackie said she was “completely heartbroken,” adding: “The loss is unimaginable and we keep the student we have lost in our hearts.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute on social media, calling it a “heartbreaking update.”
Emergency services, including Avon and Somerset Police, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, and South Western Ambulance Service, attended the scene. Twenty-four volunteers from Exmoor Search and Rescue carried out first aid triage at the Rest and Be Thankful pub, which was used as a rest centre. The road remains closed for a collision investigation.
Flowers have been left outside Minehead Middle School. The Rev Philip Butcher, vicar of Minehead, described the incident as “absolutely numbing.” Ridlers Coaches, which operated the coach, has suspended school routes in Minehead. Director Peter Prior-Sankey confirmed the driver is in a stable condition and the company is offering support to his family.
Exmoor Zoo expressed shock, saying: “We cannot believe that fate has been so cruel to such a lovely, lively, well-behaved group of children.” Police are appealing for witnesses to contact 101.
