Fifteen people were taken to hospital after a bus mounted a pavement and hit pedestrians during a rush hour crash near one of London’s busiest stations.
A large emergency response was launched as the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance service, London Air Ambulance and London Fire Brigade were all called to London Victoria Station on Thursday after reports that a route 24 bus was involved in a traffic collision at around 8.20am.
In total, police said 17 people were injured in the incident, with two people treated at the scene and 15 others, including bus passengers and the driver, taken to hospital. Officers said none of those hurt suffered life-threatening injuries and no arrests have been made.
Eyewitnesses said that the bus was “going really fast and came off the road” while travelling from the direction of Westminster. Emit Suker, 47, said: “There were about 15, 16 people inside the bus. People were screaming – it was terrible.”
“I heard a massive crash, came outside and there was a woman on the floor with loads of people around her,” another eyewitness said. “Lots of people from the gym had run out to help her.”
Pictures from the scene showed the front of the bus crumpled with a smashed windscreen, as the road was cordoned off with multiple emergency vehicles on the scene, including police cars, ambulances and a fire engine.
Diesel trailed down Allington Street, where the bus crashed, forcing police to ban smoking in the area for fear of another incident. As the road was closed, at least 14 bus routes were diverted from both directions around Victoria Station.
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, who leads policing in the area, said: “We understand this incident will have been very distressing to all those involved and injured and we have begun an investigation.
“We are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to please contact us. We welcome any dashcam or mobile phone footage.
“We are working closely with our partners to clear the scene but the road will remain closed for the next few hours so please seek alternative routes.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.20am today to reports of a road traffic collision on Victoria Street, Westminster.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, a paramedic in a fast response car, a clinical team manager, an incident response officer, a command support vehicle and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.
“We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance. We treated 17 people in total. We took 15 patients to hospital and discharged two patients at the scene.”
Rosie Trew, Transport for London’s head of bus service delivery, said: “Our thoughts are with the people who have been injured following a bus incident at Victoria Street.
“We are working with the police and the operator, Transport UK, to urgently investigate this incident.
“This must have been a distressing incident for everyone involved and we have support available for anyone affected.”
Two pedestrians have been killed in bus crashes in Victoria in recent years. The bus station was closed in late 2023 for works designed to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility for partially sighted passengers.
Over 59 million passengers used Victoria in 2023, making it the third busiest station on the London Underground.
