A TOURIST coach packed with children plunged off a mountain road in Spain leaving 19 people injured.
The bus was en route to a popular national park in the northern Spanish region of Asturias when the horror accident happened.
The coach, which was carrying 48 passengers, overturned and fell off a cliff on the way to Picos de Europa National Park.
The bus had just left Covadonga heading for Los Lagos when it overturned after passing the La Reina viewpoint on Monday afternoon.
The alarm was raised by a taxi driver who was heading to the nature beauty spot.
Cuesta Mirayes told El Comercio: "People were screaming a lot. They didn’t know what had happened.
read more in spain
Spain warning as hotels set to run out of clean sheets & towels from tomorrow
Two popular Spanish beaches CLOSED after ‘abnormal’ levels of bacteria detected
"I don’t know what went wrong, but the driver is a great person."
Fire crews, a medical helicopter, ambulances and the Civil Guard rushed to the scene.
Emergency services said in a statement that firefighters were working at the site of the accident in Cangas de Onis.
Two witnesses said the bus rolled over twice and landed on its side, the statement added.
Most read in The Sun
Maya Jama crowns Love Island winners Jess & Sammy after tense live final
Agony for Towie star Clelia Theodorou as mum dies in car crash
Pee-wee Herman star dies at 70 after private cancer battle
Four tourists found dead after car breaks down in middle of 'Sea of Death'
A police spokesperson said ten people in total had been hospitalised, seven of them with serious injuries.
Four of the wounded passengers were transferred by fire brigade and Civil Guard helicopters to the Central University Hospital of Asturias, in Oviedo, and the Arriondas Hospital, Telecinco reports.
Footage by police showed several passengers being carried into ambulances on stretchers.
The cause of the accident remains unclear.
The coach company Alsa said in a statement that the driver has been making this journey for 18 years adding that only "the most experienced drivers" who also have "specific training in driving on high mountain roads" are chosen for the route.
The local principality’s president, Adrian Barbon, that "it could have been a real tragedy."
He tweeted: "All the necessary means have been deployed to deal with the accident of a bus going up to Los Lagos, which has left the road, rolling down the hillside.
"At this time, health professionals are triaging to determine the situation of travellers, including many children."
The Picos de Europa national park is known for its lush landscapes and rich wildlife.
Source: Read Full Article
