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Monday 2 February 2015

'I thought it was a BOMB': Passengers tell of terrifying moment double-decker's roof was ripped off by a TREE in centre of London - leaving five passengers injured


Passengers on a double-decker bus which had its roof ripped off by a tree have told how they thought the vehicle had been targeted by a bomb. 

Startled passengers have told how the tree's branches cut through the vehicle 'like a knife through butter', scraping off the bus's roof to leave upper-floor seats and handrails visible outside. 
Five people were injured in the 'freak accident' on the 91 bus in Kingsway, Holborn, with one man left with a broken nose. 
One woman, sitting on the lower deck, said she thought the crashing she heard had been caused by a bomb.
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Five people were injured after a London double decker bus had its roof ripped off by a tree in a 'freak accident' today
Five people were injured after a London double decker bus had its roof ripped off by a tree in a 'freak accident' today
One of the five people injured in today's bus crash is led away for treatment by a paramedic. Two people were taken to hospital but have since been released

'The bus was going down towards the college when I heard a big bang and felt a jolt and the bus came to a halt,' said Darcey Delaproser, a full-time carer. 
'I thought it could have been a bomb. I didn't expect it.
'We could see wires coming down the stairs. A fellow passenger and I went up the stairs to see what had happened. That's when I knew the roof had come off.
'The whole thing was cut off as though it had been sliced by a knife, like a knife through butter. If there had been anyone standing up on the top deck, they wouldn't stand a chance.'
The 51-year-old said there were five to six people on the top deck and about 12 or 13 people on the bottom.

 'It's a good thing the bus was quite empty, otherwise it could have been a lot worse.
'I saw one man with blood pouring from his nose get down of the top deck.. An elderly couple were on the top deck, they were in shock.
'There was a woman at the back, she was in shock. I think she was injured.
'I'm still in shock, I'm still trying to get my head around it. I'm definitely very lucky to be ok.' 
Builder Billy Comfort, 21, who was working across the road from the scene, said: 'I saw the bus drive into a tree and the roof came off.
'It was a bit shocking really.'
Llewelyn Hill was sitting on the bus's upper deck when the tree crashed through the windows.
'I got showered in all sorts of stuff, glass and whatever, and I instinctively ducked and when I looked up the roof was gone,' the 45-year-old told the Evening Standard. 
'The roof was literally just gone and in front of me a couple of metres ahead of me there was a chap on the floor. I think he'd been thrown off his seat and he was bloodied in the face. 
'There was pandemonium on the top deck and I heard a few screams but other than that most people were checking everybody was OK.'
The Number 91 clipped the overhanging tree on Kingsway in Holborn, Central London, sending the roof crashing into the road behind it
The Number 91 clipped the overhanging tree on Kingsway in Holborn, Central London, sending the roof crashing into the road behind it
This photograph, taken from a nearby window above the crash scene shows the extent of the damage to the bus's upper deck

The two patients who needed further medical attention were both taken to St Thomas's Hospital in London. Emergency services described the incident as a 'freak accident' and an investigation has been launched
The two patients who needed further medical attention were both taken to St Thomas's Hospital in London. Emergency services described the incident as a 'freak accident' and an investigation has been launched
The bus is thought to have struck a tree on Kingsway in Holborn - close to a sign warning of overhanging branches
The bus is thought to have struck a tree on Kingsway in Holborn - close to a sign warning of overhanging branches
Pictures on Twitter showed a double decker with its upper-floor seats and handrails visible after the roof was ripped off
Pictures on Twitter showed a double decker with its upper-floor seats and handrails visible after the roof was ripped off
Fire fighters work through the damage on the upper deck of the number 91 bus this afternoon, with office workers and college students in Kingsway, Holborn, watching their efforts 
Fire fighters work through the damage on the upper deck of the number 91 bus this afternoon, with office workers and college students in Kingsway, Holborn, watching their efforts 
An aerial view of the damage on board the 91 bus with tree branches lying in the vehicle's aisles and its front windows smashed 
An aerial view of the damage on board the 91 bus with tree branches lying in the vehicle's aisles and its front windows smashed 

Shards of glass from the windows of the bus littered the road, with the roof trailing behind the vehicle at an angle, as stunned passengers were seen still sitting on the ruined top deck. 
Two people had to be taken to hospital with facial injuries, one with a broken nose, while another three were treated at the scene - next to a sign warning of overhanging trees. 
They were both discharged this afternoon from St Thomas's Hospital after receiving treatment for minor head injuries. 
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We treated five patients. We treated two patients for facial injuries, they were taken to St Thomas's Hospital.
'We treated two patients for minor injuries, they were not taken to hospital. We treated another patient for a knee injury. This patient was discharged at the scene.' 


Via - dailymail.

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