M25 coach crash survivors 'lucky to be alive'

A survivor of a coach crash on the M25 said it was "a miracle" none of the 49 people on board were killed.

Ihsan Haq, 66, said he was the one of first people to get out of the wreckage after the vehicle overturned on the motorway on Monday afternoon at Swanley, Kent.

He was separated from his wife Farhat for 45 minutes, but the only injuries they suffered were cuts and bruises.

"I count my blessings that we survived," Mr Haq said.

"I feel very lucky. I thought that it was a one in a million chance to come out of this," he told BBC South East.

"It was such a bad crash, it was a miracle [no-one died]."

The cause of the crash is being investigated by Kent Police, who said no arrests have been made.

A total of 49 people were taken to hospital after the coach overturned at the Swanley junction

Many of the 49 people on board the coach operated by Green's of London were helped off by members of the public.

Mr Haq, from Plaistow, east London, described people who stopped to help as "angels".

Ten children were among dozens hurt when the vehicle came off the motorway.

Most of those injured were taken to the Princess Royal University Hospital near Orpington, some to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, and one to Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury.

Injuries included "broken bones, whiplash, bumps and scrapes", according to emergency services.

Amid the chaos, a baby boy was born in the queuing traffic.

'Nightmare situation'

Mr Haq, who is visually impaired, managed to crawl out of a window through bushes to the roadside and heard "children crying and women screaming and asking for help."

He said he was still getting flashbacks from the "nightmare situation".

Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage of the crash to contact them.

A spokesman for Green's of London said: "We [were] very shocked and concerned to hear about the incident on the M25.

"We are co-operating very closely with the police and emergency services to investigate this matter and ensure it is resolved promptly."

The cause of the crash is under investigation, Kent Police said