Three people have been taken to hospital and a total of 13 children have been injured after a school bus was involved in a serious crash with a car in west Wales on Monday morning.
The collision happened at around 8.30am on the A478 between Clunderwen and Crymych in Pembrokeshire, near the village of Llandissilio, and involved a bus that was taking children to Ysgol y Preseli - a secondary school in Crymych.
The road has been closed in both directions since around 8.50am as emergency services, including police officers, paramedics and firefighters, all work at the scene of the crash.
A Wales Air Ambulance helicopter also landed nearby and has since taken off from the area.
Dyfed-Powys Police said a “number of children received minor injuries” as a result of the incident, with two of them taken to hospital. The Welsh Ambulance Service has confirmed that three people in total have been taken to hospital, while Pembrokeshire Council has confirmed that a total of 13 school children were injured.
A Wales Online reporter at the scene said parents had been to collect their children, many of whom were travelling on the bus involved in the crash.
Two other school buses are understood to have been affected as they could not complete their journeys due to the road being closed and were stuck within the road block. One has now turned around with some children on board.
Many children are understood to have been taken to a nearly holiday park, Llandissilio Holiday Park, while emergency services remain in attendance.
A spokesman for Pembrokeshire Council said: "The A478 in Pembrokeshire has been closed this morning following a serious collision involving a school bus and another vehicle. The collision happened at around 8.30am as the bus was taking pupils to Ysgol y Preseli. Emergency services are at the scene and the road remains closed whilst the emergency services deal with the incident.
"Thirteen young people are understood to have received injuries. None of the injuries to these young people are understood to be serious. Parents and guardians of the young people travelling on the bus have been contacted to collect their children. Pembrokeshire County Council has also set up a telephone number for concerned parents and guardians to call: 01437 775400. The A478 remains closed and people are asked to avoid the area.”
A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: “We were called at approximately 8.39am this morning, Monday, May 17, to reports of a road traffic collision involving a bus and car near Efailwen.
“We responded with four emergency ambulances, one rapid response vehicle and our emergency medical retrieval and transfer service in the Wales Air Ambulance. Three patients were conveyed to hospital - two to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen and one to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest.”
The road remains closed in both directions and is expected to be shut for several hours.
