Seven taken to hospital after bus smashes into car and city building

An eyewitness has described the moment a bus crashed into a city centre building.

The single-decker bus was also involved in a collision with a car, before it ploughed into a Guide Dogs regional office, leaving seven people needing hospital treatment.

Tahir Hussain, manager of IQ Plus located two doors away from the office in Broadway in Peterborough, told what happened before he and his staff were evacuated from their own office.

He said: "We heard a really really loud bang that sounded like a car crash. We went outside and saw that the bus had gone into the car and then mounted the pavement into the side of the building a couple of doors down.

"A few of the passengers came out of the bus with bloody noses and whiplash. Some of them came in and we offered them cups of tea and coffee.

"Then we were evacuated because of a suspected gas leak so we all just left.

"We will give it a few hours before trying to get back into the office as there will be a lot of traffic in the area."

A spokeswoman for the Guide Dogs regional office, which was severely damaged, confirmed that no people or dogs were injured in the crash.

She said: "Just before midday on Christmas Eve a bus crashed into our regional offices in Peterborough causing structural damage to the front of the building. Three members of staff (no guide dogs) were inside the building at the time of impact.

"Immediate action was taken to make sure everyone inside the building was safe and work is under way to ensure the building is made safe and secure."

"I can confirm that no one from the Guide Dogs charity was injured."

The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed that seven patients were taken to Peterborough City Hospital: the two women in the car, including the driver in her 50s, and four women and a man who were passengers on the bus. Another man and a woman were taken to a minor injuries unit and four people were treated and discharged at the scene.

A spokeswoman said: "We dispatched five ambulance crews, a rapid response vehicle, two ambulance officers and the Magpas air ambulance.

"In total we treated 13 patients - none appeared to be in a critical condition."

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue used specialist cutting equipment to rescue the two casualties from the car. A structural engineer was called to assess severe damage to the building and a gas engineer isolated the mains.

Station Commander Jamie Johnson said: "The emergency services have worked extremely well together to successfully rescue and treat casualties.

"Severe damage has also been caused to a building as a result of the collision."