Four in hospital after school bus crashes near Carrowdore, County Down

Four people have been taken to hospital after a school bus carrying dozens of children overturned in County Down.

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said 43 pupils and a driver were on board.

Apart from those needing hospital treatment, the rest “are in the process of being assessed, with a view to discharging at the scene”, said NIAS.

An air ambulance and a specialist rescue team were among resources sent to Ballyblack Road East, near the village of Carrowdore.

Dylan Lee, 12, a pupil at Strangford Integrated College, described what happened.

“The bus hit a post and it started to stall and went down this hill,” he said.

“It just started shaking. I closed my eyes and then I opened them and I was on the floor. The first thing I did when I got up was to phone my mum.”

Dylan said a man with a hammer smashed the windows so the children could escape.

“I was crawling under stuff like railings and school bags and stuff. It was on its side in the field,” he added.

His mother, Stacey Lee, said: “I could hear him screaming that he had crashed and I could hear all the kids in the background screaming. It was awful.”

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Luckily, Dylan’s injuries appear minor – he was left with a lump and cut on his head.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said on X he was “deeply concerned” and his “thoughts and prayers” were with the people involved, their families and emergency services.