UK NEWS
BRITONS HURT IN COACH CRASH HORROR
DEMOLISHED: A gaping hole and sagging floorboards show where coach crashed into the front of house
By Nick Fagge
THE co-driver of a British tourist coach had his arm sliced off in a terrifying crash in Belgium that put more than 20 other victims in hospital yesterday.
The group of 35 holidaymakers were returning home from a nine-day tour of central Europe when their bus hit a car
and careered into a roadside house near Ostend.
Doctors had to cut the most severely wounded out of the wreckage, including the co-driver, said to have suffered a “traumatic amputation”.
Last night Belgian police said the co-driver was in “a serious condition”.
Medic Dr Christian Pottez, who rushed to the scene, said: “The front of the bus was destroyed and so was the left side. The front of the house was demolished.
“The co-driver’s arm had been cut off by falling glass. There was a lot of debris. He was in a lot of pain. I gave him some very strong painkillers.”
A further 22 people were taken to three nearby hospitals as the emergency services battled to cope with the disaster.
A family of eight who were in the seven-room house at the time of the smash had a remarkable escape as the coach veered through the front wall.
It went into the sitting room, narrowly missing a teenage girl sitting by the window. Owner John Spinnewyn, 54, who lives in the house with his wife Dominique, 48, and their six children, said: “I thought it was World War III.
“It was very scary. I was upstairs and the floor collapsed. Three of us in the bedroom fell down from the top floor.
“It was a huge bang. My wife hurt her shoulder and a few of my children were injured but we were very lucky. I am just relieved that we are all safe.”
Mr Spinnewyn added: “It was an old house that survived World War II but now it has been destroyed by a coach. It
is very sad.”
The family were moved to a hotel until they can find alternative accommodation.
Last night three of the coach passengers and the driver remained in hospital, some with broken bones.
The Red Cross took the uninjured passengers to a fire station in nearby Middelkerke as tour operator Leger Holidays, based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and the British Embassy in Belgium moved in to provide help.
The disaster happened at 11am local time as the coach was setting off on the last leg of its journey back to Britain
following an overnight stop. Belgian police official Geert Van Der Haeghe said: “There were 35 passengers on the bus and three or four of them were seriously hurt.
He added: “A team of investigators is looking into whether the car which hit the coach went through a stop sign before the collision. The car driver was a man in his 60s.”
Leger Holidays said the coach was returning from a £489 tour of Prague, Vienna and Budapest.
It added: “Following an overnight stop, our coach was involved in an accident with a vehicle between Middelkerke and Nieuwpoort, Belgium.”
Leger said the coach had two drivers. Emergency services at the scene reported that 18 passengers were shaken but unhurt and 19 suffered injuries.
Last night all but three passengers were taken to a hotel to spend the night before completing their journey home.
Leger confirmed: “We now have 32 of the 35 passengers safe and being looked after in a hotel. They will be returning to the UK today and tomorrow.
“Two of the remaining three passengers will be kept in hospital for a short period.
“One of our two drivers – the one not driving the coach – remains in hospital. The other is not hurt.
“A team of nine Leger personnel, including a specially trained counsellor, are travelling from the UK to join our three staff already at the scene.”
Video 
