Twelve hurt as bus crashes into cafe in Manchester

The bus veered into a bubble tea cafe at Piccadilly Gardens

A bus has crashed into a cafe in Manchester, with 12 people injured and the driver held on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

It struck the T4 bubble tea cafe in the Piccadilly Gardens area of the city centre at about 13:15 BST.

The casualties were believed to be passengers and pedestrians who were outside the cafe at the time, with one woman seriously injured.

Witness Michael Stevens told the BBC he felt "lucky to be alive".

Emergency services at first said "at least two" people had been hurt before later clarifying.

A police statement confirmed the 64-year-old driver had been arrested.

It added: "It has been established that 12 people have been injured with one woman in a life-threatening condition receiving treatment at hospital.

"Others involved are believed to be in a stable condition with minor injuries."

A spokesman for T4 said staff working in the cafe were "okay although shaken up".

Eyewitness Mr Stevens, from Sheffield, said: "I saw a bus driving toward myself and a large group of people.

"It knocked me back a bit but I was all right. The bus went into a café - it smashed into that building and took out all the seating area.

"I was shocked. It was really bad."

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service also attended and a large cordon was put in place.

There were road closures in the area and officers from the police serious collision investigation unit were examining the scene.

Piccadilly Gardens was currently closed to all buses with services using alternative stops, Transport for Greater Manchester said.

The city's Metrolink tram services were continuing to run but without stopping at Piccadilly Gardens.

A large emergency services presence was called to the scene of the crash

From the scene at about 14:40, BBC Radio Manchester reporter Mat Trewern said he could see the single-decker blue bus "sticking out right across the pavement".

"There is a huge emergency response here - paramedics, firefighters and police all crowding around the crash scene," he said.

"A large part of this side of Piccadilly Gardens has been cordoned off. There's no access to the buses here which, as you can imagine, is causing quite a bit of disruption."

An eyewitness posted on X the bus crash was "one of the most horrible scenes I've witnessed"

Posting on X, one eyewitness said the scene was "properly, properly horrendous".

Another said: "One of the most horrible scenes I've witnessed, really praying everybody involved in the incident at Piccadilly gardens is okay and pull through, my heart goes out to all involved."

Ian Wood, a spokesman for T4 UK Franchise Ltd, said: "T4 UK has today been informed of the bus crash at our newly opened Manchester store.

"Firstly, we want to wish all of those involved in the crash a speedy recovery. We look forward to welcoming them to our store once fully recovered."We will remain closed until we are able to get the store back up on its feet. All staff members are okay although shaken up."

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