18-07-2025
Off-duty firefighter helped save children in bus crash
A school coach carrying pupils from Minehead Middle School crashed on the A936 near Wheddon Cross, Somerset, on Thursday afternoon.
The coach, returning from Exmoor Zoo, flipped and slid 20ft down an embankment, resulting in a complex and difficult incident for emergency services.
One child tragically died at the scene, while 21 others sustained injuries, with two children airlifted to hospital in serious conditions.
An off-duty firefighter, who was travelling behind the coach, was praised for immediately assisting in freeing passengers from the wreckage.
Emergency services, including 20 ambulances, three air ambulances, fire crews, and police, responded to the incident, and an investigation into its cause is underway.
