People 'shouting and screaming' after busway crash

People who were the first to respond to a major collision between a fire engine and two guided buses said they could hear people "shouting and screaming".

It happened on the B1050 Station Road at the junction with the busway in Northstowe, near Cambridge, shortly after 14:00 BST on Wednesday.

A 44-year-old woman from Lincolnshire, who was driving one of the buses, was seriously injured and remains in hospital, alongside ten other people with minor injuries, Cambridgeshire Police said.

Sophie Thurston, who works at the nearby Northstowe Tap & Social, said people were "shouting and screaming" and had "lots of cuts to the faces and hands".

A fire engine had been responding to an incident travelling north when it crashed with a single-decker Stagecoach bus travelling towards St Ives.

A similar bus going in the opposite direction was also involved.

Ms Thurston said: "We heard an initial bang, and I am guessing that was the first hit."

She said: "A lot of people were hurt more by the glass that had shattered."

"We are such a community-based building, and when we heard it was happening especially so close to us, we just went straight out tried to help as much as we could," she added.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said three firefighters were on board the engine.

Two received minor injuries and one of them was taken to hospital for a precautionary check but has since been released.

Sam Adams, general manager of Northstowe Tap & Social, said: "I came in to do some orders and I saw all of these staff rush over with first aid kits, and helped out as much as possible."

"A lot of the head injuries were of people hitting the front bar of the seats," he added.

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said four ambulances, three Hazardous Area Response Team vehicles, two paramedic cars and helicopters from the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Magpas were sent.

The fire service said other crews came to the scene and worked with ambulance colleagues to release a casualty.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it was working with the emergency services and the bus operator.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said no arrests had been made.

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