Four people injured as a packed tourist bus has its roof ripped off after hitting a tree in central London

Four people have been injured after a packed tourist bus had its roof ripped off after crashing into a tree in central London.

The double-decker bus hit an overhanging branch in Woburn Place, Bloomsbury, at around 1.10pm.

The roof was swept almost clean off the bus and was pictured hanging off to one side, dangling from the upper deck and on to the road.

Those on the top floor helped patch up the injured with makeshift bandages and firefighters led stunned passengers to safety.

The impact left a large branch in the road, along with debris and shattered windows from the bus. More pics after the cut......

The tourist bus involved in the incident is not a Transport for London vehicle, the Met added.

Craig Douglas, 28, told the Evening Standard passengers were 'hugging and consoling' each other.

He said of the aftermath, said: 'The roof was hanging off even though the branch really did not look big enough to do it; I don't know how it happened.

'Everyone was standing up and seemed rather okay. A few people were hugging and consoling each other.

'It looked miraculous that everyone got away, the whole roof was off and there was glass all over the floor.'


A man named Craig who witnessed the aftermath of the incident said: 'Just rounded the corner to see a bus has hit a tree and completely removed the roof!

'Everyone seems ok right now.'

Michelle Bavage was on a bus coming in the opposite direction when the incident happened.

She said on Twitter: 'On a bus heading in opposite direction when looked down the road. I saw roof hanging off bus and front smashed.

'Just the roof hanging off and tree in road. Was on bus going opposite direction. Roof was full of people.'

Joseph Whelan was on the bus with his wife and two children.

'It was like a bomb going off,' he told the Press Association.

Mr Whelan, from Canada, said he was among a group of Canadians who were in the UK for a wedding which took place on Saturday.

He said the bride was also on the bus and had been taken to hospital.

He described the immediate aftermath as 'total chaos' and said there was 'blood all over the floor'.

Louis Yalaz, a waiter in a cafe opposite to where the incident happened, said he was in the kitchen at the time.

'Everyone was in shock,' he said. Asked what it sounded like, he said: 'It was like a storm.'

Fire crews and police remain at the scene.

DailyMail