Britons injured in Belgium coach crash
The crash happened in the northern town of Middelkerke
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Sunday, 10, Jun 2007 08:39
Twenty-three people have been injured after a bus carrying British tourists crashed into a house in Belgium.
Belgian police said four tourists, three of whom are Britons, suffered serious injuries in the coastal city of Middelkerke this morning.
The accident happened when the coach, carrying middle-aged holidaymakers and pensioners, swerved to avoid a car and smashed into a house, causing part of a wall to collapse.
Two people in the car and another two in the house suffered minor injuries, while 19 people on the bus were hurt, officials said.
Police also revealed the tourist coach, carrying 35 tourists, was from Rotherham-based travel company Leger Holidays.
Mr Van De Gunst, a Belgian police spokesman, said the coach had hit a house after trying to avoid a collision with a car.
"The car came from a side street and the driver of the coach saw the car and tried to avoid a collision but came into contact with the house because there was no escape for him possible," he said.
Mr Van De Gunst said those seriously injured have been taken to hospitals in Brugges, Veurne and Ostende.
Passengers with less severe injuries have been taken to Ostende, about 120 kilometres west of Brussels.
Tourists who escaped injury were helped by the Red Cross in the fire department station in Middelkerke.