LONDON — A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in England Thursday, sending the driver and two passengers to the hospital and leaving more than a dozen others with minor injures, officials said.

The bus carrying students from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a school for 16- to 18-year-olds, went off a road in Eastleigh, near the south coast. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

“Reports suggest the bus left the highway and came to rest in a shallow river,” said Richard Tyldsley, general manager of Bluestar Bus. “Our driver and at least two of the passengers have confirmed injuries, and we are awaiting further updates on the status of others on-board.”

All 19 passengers on board were off the bus and about 14 were treated at the scene by paramedics, a South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson said.

Two helicopters, five ambulances and fire crews responded to the crash.

The bus company did not immediately know the circumstances of the crash, but was investigating and cooperating with police probing the incident.

Double-decker bus carrying students plunges into English river in ‘terrifying’ crash

LONDON — A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in southern England on Thursday, sending the driver and four teens to the hospital and leaving more than a dozen others with minor injures, officials said.

The bus was bound for Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a school for 16- to 18-year-olds, when it went off a road in Eastleigh. The cause of the crash was being investigated by police and the bus company.

“It must have been terrifying,” said Inspector Andy Tester of the Hampshire Constabulary.

All 19 passengers on board were either able to get off the bus or were rescued, police said. The bus driver and one student had serious injuries but were expected to survive.

Police said there was no indication why the bus veered off the road but one witness who said she heard a screeching sound and saw the bus crash into the river said the bus driver told her he couldn’t stop.

A double-decker bus carrying high school students after it came off the road and plunged into a river, in Eastleigh, England, Thursday June 26, 2025. Andrew Matthews/PA via AP

Kelly West was working from home nearby when the blue bus splashed into the water and she rushed to the scene to help.

West told the BBC that the driver told her the brakes weren’t working and the accelerator jammed and he was “doing the best he could to avoid cars as he was coming down the road.”

The bus was sitting upright in water up to its axels next to a bridge. Its front windows were smashed and mud was splattered on its side. A large section of bridge railing was missing.

West said she helped some of the shaken students get off the bus and to her garden.

About 14 students were treated at the scene by paramedics, a South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson said.

Two helicopters, five ambulances and fire crews responded to the crash.

The bus company did not immediately know the circumstances of the crash, but was investigating and cooperating with police probing the incident.

A double-decker bus with high school students crashed into a river in England, injuring the driver and two passengers; investigations are ongoing.

abcnews.go.com

A double-decker bus carrying high school students plunged into a river in England on Thursday, raising serious concerns about student safety during school transport. The incident, which occurred near Eastleigh, involved a bus from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, and has left many wondering about the cause and implications of such accidents.

6 Key Takeaways Double-decker bus accident in England.

High school students were on board.

Driver and two passengers hospitalized.

Cause of crash under investigation.

Emergency services responded with helicopters and ambulances.

Bus company cooperating with police inquiry.

Reports indicate that the bus veered off the highway, resulting in injuries to the driver and two passengers, while more than a dozen others sustained minor injuries. As of June 26, 2025, emergency services, including helicopters and ambulances, responded swiftly to the scene, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

Fast Answer: A double-decker bus accident in England injured multiple students, raising concerns about transport safety for schoolchildren globally.

This tragic event prompts US to consider how safe our school transport systems are. Could better regulations prevent such accidents? Here are some key points to ponder:

Increased safety measures could mitigate risks for student transport.

Regular vehicle inspections may be essential for ensuring safety.

Emergency response times are critical in minimizing injury severity.

Public awareness campaigns can educate about safe transport practices.

This incident underscores the urgent need for improved safety protocols in school transportation worldwide.

As investigations continue, it is crucial for schools and transport authorities to prioritize student safety, ensuring that such accidents are minimized in the future.

A suspected Islamist terrorist has been shot dead after killing three people and injuring 40 more in a car and knife attack on London’s Westminster Bridge and inside the grounds of the Houses of Parliament.

Key points: Attacker shot dead shortly after stabbing police officer near Parliament

Britain’s counter-terrorism command carrying out “full-scale investigation”

No Australians so far identified as being injured in attack, Julie Bishop says

A German woman who lives in South Australia, and is a permanent resident of Australia, was among those hospitalised following the attack, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed.

Warning: This story contains graphic images.

The attack started about 2:40pm (local time) when a speeding car ran down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before crashing into the railings surrounding the Parliament.

The knife-wielding driver then entered the Parliament grounds and fatally stabbed a police officer, identified as a 48-year-old father with 14 years’ service, before himself being shot dead.

Injured people are assisted after an incident on Westminster Bridge in London. (Reuters: Toby Melville)

The two other fatalities were members of the public hit by the car on Westminster Bridge.

“We’ve declared this as a terrorist incident and the counter-terrorism command are carrying out a full-scale investigation into the events today,” Mark Rowley, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, told reporters.

He would not comment on the identity of the attacker, but said police were working on the assumption that the attack was “Islamist-related terrorism”.

Hundreds of officers are investigating the attack, and the investigation is working at a “very fast pace”, Mr Rowley said.

Loading…

‘Catastrophic’ injuries among casualties from Westminster Bridge

The attack sparked chaos, with dozens of people fleeing the scene.

Loading…

Video aired by the BBC showed a woman falling off Westminster Bridge into the River Thames. It was unclear whether she jumped in or was hit, but the BBC reported she was later pulled from the river and taken to hospital.

A doctor who treated the wounded from the bridge said some had “catastrophic” injuries.

Three French schoolchildren aged 15 or 16 were among those injured in the attack, French officials said.

Others injured on the bridge included three police officers, two Romanian tourists and five South Korean visitors.

The Australian permanent resident who was injured had her foot run over by the car and is now recovering in hospital.

Attorney-General George Brandis said she had been offered consular assistance.

Loading

Witnesses said people were fleeing from the man when he entered the parliamentary precinct.

“A guy came past my right shoulder with a big knife and just started plunging it into the policeman,” witness Rick Longley told the Press Association.

Witnesses said three to four shots were then fired by the officer’s colleagues and the attacker was seriously injured.

The car mounted the footpath and crashed on London’s Westminster Bridge. (AP: Yui Mok)

George Eaton, a journalist with the New Statesman, said he watched from the window of Parliament’s Press Gallery as the man charged at police officers and was shot.

“A large crowd was seen fleeing the man before he entered the parliamentary estate,” he wrote on the publication’s website.

“After several officers evaded him he was swiftly shot by armed police.”

Attack on the ‘heart’ of London no accident, says PM

Loading…

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who chaired an emergency meeting in the wake of the attack, said the UK’s threat level had been set at “severe” for some time, and that would not change.

Attack was a matter of when, not if Police repeatedly warned an attack was coming. Am I shocked? Yes. Surprised? No, writes Europe correspondent James Glenday.

“The location of this attack was no accident,” she told journalists outside Downing Street.

“The values our Parliament represents — democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law — command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere.

“That is why it is a target for those who reject those values, but let me make it clear … any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure.”

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the attack an attack on “every democracy”, and said the police presence at Parliament House in Canberra would be increased.

US President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Ms May to offer his condolences, and pledged the “full cooperation and support” of the US Government in responding to the attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan released a statement saying his thoughts were with those affected and their families, and thanking the police and emergency services who show “tremendous bravery in exceptionally difficult circumstances”.

Loading…

Loading…

Offices, Tube station in lockdown

The incident took place on the first anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks in Brussels.

The entire area was cordoned off and a huge number of police and ambulance officers were on the scene.

Vulnerability of the West Photo shows The truck used in an attack at a Berlin Christmas market The London terror attack is another reminder of the dangers of “lone-wolf” attacks inspired by Islamic State that are almost impossible to guard against.

All offices in the area, including the ABC’s London studios, were placed in lockdown, and police urged everyone to stay inside.

The lockdown on Parliament has since been lifted, and the building will reopen tomorrow.

The attack unfolded near some of the city’s most famous tourist sites, including the London Eye, a large Ferris wheel with pods that overlooks the capital, and the Big Ben.

The Underground station at Westminster was shut at police request, Transport for London said.

Armed police conducted a sweep of the parliamentary estate.

Loading…

On Westminster Bridge, witness Steve Voake told the ABC: “Nobody had any idea what was going on so we just started trying to get everybody off the bridge.

“I was walking across the bridge and suddenly a bus stopped and people started screaming.

“There were a couple of bodies on the other side of the bridge and then the side I was on there was a body in the water with blood around it and then quite quickly a police launch came up and then there was a medic motorcycle.”

Loading…

He said he did not hear gunshots, just screams.

“It’s very difficult to say but I think I saw three people on the ground being treated and the one in the water and there were bits of clothing,” he said.

“I would say they were pretty badly injured. One of them was covered.”

ABC/wires