Four people have been taken to hospital after a school bus carrying 43 school pupils and a driver overturned in a field in County Down on Monday.
Photographs on social media showed children in uniform walking from the blue doubledecker bus, which had a shattered windscreen.
Two people were rescued from the bus by firefighters using specialist cutting equipment at the scene near Carrowdore.
The incident happened at about 3.45pm. The Police Service of Northern Ireland described it as a “serious road traffic collision”.
The Northern Ireland ambulance service (NIAS) said most of the passengers had suffered “minor injuries if any”, such as cuts and bruises, with eight people requiring more serious medical treatment.
In a later update, it said most were well enough to be discharged at the scene, which is near the towns of Donaghadee and Newtownards.
A spokesperson said: “Following a road traffic incident this afternoon in the Carrowdore area, the NIAS declared a major incident, based on the number of resources required to attend the incident.”
Police are investigating the circumstances behind the crash, and Northern Ireland’s public transport provider, Translink, has said it is assisting with the investigation.
The bus had been carrying pupils from Strangford Integrated College to the city of Bangor.
Dylan Lee, 12, a year 8 pupil at the college, suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Speaking to the PA news agency at the scene, where he had been joined by his mother, Stacey Lee, he said: “I was on the top deck on the right-hand side. I was just sitting with my friend: he is fine, he just hurt his arm.
“The bus hit a post and it started to stall and went down this hill. It just started shaking. I closed my eyes and then I opened them and I was on the floor.”
He added: “The first thing I did when I got up was to phone my mum.”
His mother said Dylan had a lump and a cut on his head, adding: “I could hear him screaming that he had crashed and I could hear all the kids in the background screaming. It was awful.”
Dylan added: “Then there was this guy came down with a hammer and the windows were all being smashed so we could get out. I was crawling under stuff like railings and school bags and stuff.”
The Stormont health minister, Mike Nesbitt, praised the response of emergency service crews and hospital staff.
He said: “This has been a shocking incident and my thoughts this evening are with all of those affected and their families. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the emergency crews attending the scene and to the hospital staff caring for those who have been injured.”
Will Polland, a local SDLP representative, said concerns had been raised multiple times about the road where the crash occurred.
By Monday night the South Eastern Health Trust said the major incident response had ended but teams continued to treat patients at Ulster hospital.
The Strangford College principal, Clare Foster, said: “This has been a very difficult and distressing experience for the pupils, their families and the wider school community.
“The emergency services were at the scene and we would like to thank everyone who assisted for their quick actions, including a number of staff and parents who provided support and first aid.
“We are working closely with the Education Authority (EA) and trained staff from the EA critical incident response team, and our core focus over the coming days will be on supporting our pupils and staff at this time.”
