A coach with children on board crashed through a motorway central reservation barrier after a collision with a car.
An air ambulance and multiple ambulances were scrambled to the scene on the M61 in Bolton shortly after 10.30am on Wednesday morning.
But thankfully, North West Ambulance Service confirmed no reported injuries. A spokesman said all those on the coach, together with the occupants of the car, were assessed by paramedics at the scene and no injuries were reported. No one was taken to hospital.
According to reports, the children were taken off the coach into another coach which had been called to the scene. The M61 was closed northbound for hours after the collision, with a large emergency services presence reported.
Images showed the white coach ended up through the central reservation barrier, leading to a lane closure on the other side of the motorway as well.
Traffic reports confirmed a closure of a northbound stretch near to junction five and the A58, for Syndale Way and Westhoughton. The collision is believed to have occurred at around 10.25am on Wednesday.
Motorists were asked to use a diversion taking in the entry and exit slip roads as clean-up crews attended the scene in the aftermath, and buses in the surrounding area reported knock-on delays as drivers found alternative routes.
At the height of the alert, motorists faced almost four miles of queuing traffic. Heavy traffic was also reported between Over Hulton and Little Hulton as motorists avoided the scene.
NWAS said in a statement: "No injuries were reported. All passengers were assessed on scene and nobody was taken to hospital."
The northbound section of the motorway remained closed on Wednesday afternoon. No details have been confirmed by Greater Manchester Police.
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