2 critical, dozens injured as London bus crashes into tree

Two people, including a 19-year-old woman, are in a critical condition and 30 others were seriously hurt after a bus crashed into a tree in London.

The number 59 double-decker bus swerved to avoid another vehicle and hit the tree in Kennington, south London, near the Imperial War Museum shortly before 11am.

The tree was embedded in the front of the bus and emergency crews had to use cutting equipment to gain access to one side of the vehicle to release two people who were trapped.

Two police officers were among those on board when the bus crashed.

Jesse Fox, an actor from north London, was on the top deck of the bus and described the tree crashing through the front windows, pinning two passengers in their seats.

“I was on the top deck and luckily I was three seats from the back,” he said. “We were going along at a fairly normal speed and I heard people shout, and I could see out of my right hand window that it was swerving to avoid a car.

“And then I heard people shout a lot louder and looked up and literally saw this tree crash through the front of the bus. Most people on the top deck were fine but for the people at the front, it looked pretty bad.”

London Fire Brigade station manager Clive Robinson said: “Our crews on arrival found a very challenging incident.

“We’ve used hydraulic cutting equipment to release two people who were trapped. In addition, the floor of the bus was starting to collapse and we had to shore that up using hydraulic equipment to get the people upstairs out safely.”

One witness, a paediatrician, said she treated people for shock, cuts and bruises and facial injuries.

The front of the bus was crumpled against a tree near the Ship pub in Kennington Rd.

Chief Superintendent Glyn Jones said it is not yet clear what caused the crash