Four hurt after double decker bus roof torn off

Four people have been hurt after a double decker bus crashed into a railway bridge tearing its roof off in Kilmarnock.

Emergency services were called to the collision on Macphail Drive, near Culzean Crescent, in Kilmarnock at about 14:00 and have sealed off the area.

Footage of the scene posted on social media shows people standing on top of the roofless bus near the bridge, which is marked for vehicles below a certain height.

It comes just days after another double decker bus crashed into a railway bridge in Glasgow, leaving one man critical in hospital.

The roof remained behind after the bus travelled through the tunnel

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed one ambulance and three response teams were dispatched to the scene at 13:55.

Four patients were taken to University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock.

The number six Stagecoach bus, which was heading to Bellfield in Kilmarnock, appears to have gone under the bridge at Macphail Drive.

A sign near the bridge states it is not suitable for vehicles over 8ft 3 (2.5m) high.

The roof of the bus was completely torn off and remained behind while the vehicle passed through the tunnel.

Bus going 'some speed'

A teenager who was on the top deck of the bus said he was still in shock after the incident.

He said there were about 11 teenagers on the upper level.

He told BBC Scotland News: "We were supposed to take a right but the bus driver took a completely different route and went under the railway bridge, which we're not supposed to do.

"The bus was going at some speed, about 30 or 40mph.

"The driver was hitting the brakes the whole way through and the whole roof of the bus got taken off. It just got crushed and glass went everywhere, I can feel the glass on me.

"People on the bus knew it was going to happen before it happened. It was really scary."

The boy said he was not badly injured, but he had a sore neck and scratches from the smashed glass.

"I can't explain the sound, it was like a massive crashing sound all the way through the bridge," he added.

"And then hearing all the glass falling and feeling it, it was horrible."

A number of emergency service vehicles were sent to the scene

Another eyewitness told BBC Scotland News: "There's about eight police vehicles and four ambulances here.

"The bus must have gone straight through the tunnel from the Macphail Drive side to the Holehouse Road, I feel awful for anyone who was on board.

"The bus and its roof are at complete separate sides of the tunnel."

A Stagecoach West Scotland spokesperson confirmed the bus had struck a low bridge. They said investigations were ongoing and the bus company was working closely with police.

Police Scotland said the road is closed in both directions and members of the public are being asked to avoid the area.

ScotRail confirmed that no rail services are affected.

Network Rail engineers inspected the bridge - a spokesperson later said it had not sustained any structural damage.