The mother of a pupil on a school bus that crashed into a field in Co Down has described how she could hear youngsters screaming over the phone after the vehicle overturned.
Dylan Lee, a 12-year-old year eight pupil at Strangford Integrated College, was among 43 passengers and a driver injured in the single-vehicle crash on Monday at Ballyblack Road East near Carrowdore.
A major incident was declared by the NI Ambulance Service (NIAS) as emergency services rushed to the scene.
It has been confirmed that all of those involved were treated at the scene by paramedics, while four have been taken to hospital for further treatment.
Following the crash, Dylan called his mother Stacy Lee
“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,” he told the Press Association.
“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.”
Ms Lee said her son had a lump and a cut on his head.
She said: “I could hear him screaming that he had crashed and I could hear all the kids in the background screaming. It was awful.”
Dylan sad: “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. It was on its side in the field.”
The Ballyblack Road East road remained closed on Monday evening, with motorists urged to avoid the area.
