A MAN standing in a bookies shop was killed when a packed bus smashed in through the wall.

Police named the victim as Alan Humphries, 60, of Lodge Close, Dukinfield, who was inside the William Hill branch on Lodge Lane, when the single-decker Stagecoach bus with 30 passengers on board smashed through the side of the two-storey building.

It is understood that the driver was turning left from Cheetham Hill Road when the crash happened.

Pavement

The bus clipped the side of The Lodge pub at the road's junction then mounted the pavement and smashed into the shop, the fire service said.

Witnesses at the scene said one man escaped serious injury after the bus clipped his leg on impact.

The second man was hit by the front of the bus and died at the scene from crush injuries. His body was removed from the debris late last night.

It is understood he was standing near TV monitors at the time.

A woman working inside fled through a rear door and was unhurt.

Police said no one on board the bus, including the driver, was badly hurt.

There were initial fears that the building, next to a hairdressers, could collapse. Firefighters worked to stabilise the building using metal poles and wooden beams so they could recover the body.

Fire service spokesman Paul Etches said search and rescue teams, some with dogs, from Lancashire and Greater Manchester were drafted in to help.

He said: "The bus has careered off the road, clipped the corner of the pub, mounted the kerb and embedded itself in the shop.

"There was one confirmed fatality inside the shop. We do not believe that anyone else is involved and we are attempting to stabilise the building.

"Search dogs were sent in to locate the body.

"The building has a basement and we had to make it safe due to the weight of the bus. It is too early to establish just what has happened."

Emergency crews were called to the scene at about 3.10pm yesterday after witnesses dialled 999.

"The bus has careered off the road, clipped the corner of the pub, mounted the kerb and embedded itself in the shop.

Fire service spokesman Paul Etches

The bus, which was travelling towards Ashton under Lyne, was not believed to have been carrying schoolchildren.

All passengers and the driver walked free from the wreckage, although the ambulance service said two passengers were taken to Tameside Hospital with minor injuries.

One witness from the pub across the road said a man walked out of the bookmaker's seconds before the impact.

The man, who didn't want to be named, said: "The bus just buried itself in the shop and people were running for help. The two men were inside and the bus just ploughed into the shop. It was horrific. One man escaped after the bus clipped his leg.

"The other was crushed near the TV screens."

Another witness said: "It must have been terrifying. It's lucky there weren't a lot of injuries."

A Stagecoach spokesperson said: "Our immediate thoughts are with those involved in the fatal accident and also their families.

Priority

"Safety is our absolute priority and we have launched an immediate investigation.

"The single-decker bus involved in the incident was on the 346 service, which connects Ashton and Gee Cross. The accident happened around 3.15pm yesterday in the Cheetham Hill Rd/ Lodge Lane area.

"A number of passengers on the bus had what are believed to be minor injuries. The driver of the bus is still shaken by the incident, but is not understood to be injured.

"Our managers attended the scene of the accident and we will be continuing to assist the police in any way that we can."

Witnesses are asked to telephone police on 0161 872 5050.


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