A 10-year-old boy has died and 21 people were taken to hospital after a school coach overturned on a trip back from Exmoor Zoo in Somerset. The coach, carrying 60 to 70 passengers, flipped onto its roof and plunged 20ft down an embankment near Wheddon Cross on Thursday afternoon.
Police confirmed the child who died was a 10-year-old boy. Four children and three adults remain in hospital in Somerset, while two children taken by air ambulance to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children also remain hospitalised. The driver of the coach is in hospital in a stable condition with injuries.
The coach was operated by Ridlers Coaches, which has suspended school routes into Minehead. The children were divided between two coaches; the first coach returned safely. Six schools, including Minehead Middle School, part of the Beacon Education multi-academy trust, were closed on Friday as the community mourns.
Emergency services, including Avon and Somerset Police, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, and South Western Ambulance Service, attended the scene. Volunteers from Exmoor Search and Rescue carried out first aid triage at a local pub. The road remains closed for a collision investigation.
Headteacher Laura Mackie said she was 'completely heartbroken', adding: 'The loss is unimaginable.' Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute on social media, calling it a 'heartbreaking update.' Flowers have been laid outside the school, and the vicar of Minehead described the incident as 'absolutely numbing.'
Exmoor Zoo expressed shock, stating: 'We cannot believe that fate has been so cruel.' Police are appealing for witnesses to contact 101.
