Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a college bus carrying 19 passengers crashed into the River Itchen in Eastleigh yesterday morning, leaving the driver and a teenage student seriously injured and hospitalised.
Officers were called shortly after 10am yesterday (26 June) following reports of a collision on Bishopstoke Road, where a college bus transporting students to Barton Peveril Sixth Form College veered off the carriageway into a shallow section of the River Itchen.
The bus was carrying 19 passengers and the driver at the time of the incident.
Both the driver, a 69-year-old man, and one passenger, a 16-year-old girl, sustained serious injuries and remain in hospital receiving treatment.
Three additional passengers – two girls and one boy, all aged 17 – suffered serious injuries but have since been discharged from hospital.
The remaining 15 passengers, aged between 16 and 18, sustained minor injuries, with three requiring hospital treatment.
Following a complex recovery operation carried out alongside the fire service, the road was reopened at approximately 1am this morning.
Detective Sergeant Gary Doughty from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This must have been a terrifying ordeal for everyone on the bus and for the families of the young passengers.
“We have worked closely with college staff to contact all affected families, and I want to thank the college for their assistance, as well as our ambulance and fire service colleagues for their help with the injured parties and bus recovery.
“Several members of the public assisted passengers from the bus before emergency services arrived, and we have received initial witness accounts providing key information to help establish what happened.
“Whilst we understand there may be temptation for people and the media to speculate about potential causes, we want to emphasise that officers are in the early stages of their investigation and are keeping an open mind.
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“This will be a thorough investigation with all lines of enquiry being followed to determine the circumstances.”
As part of the investigation, police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward.
Contact 101 quoting reference number 44250281666, or submit a report online at: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/
