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Three children have been seriously injured when their school bus hit a railway bridge.
The double-decker’s roof was torn off in the crash in Wellhouse Lane, Winchester, shortly after 08:10 BST.
Pupils from Henry Beaufort School “started screaming” when the roof fell on top of them, leaving a further 13 needing treatment for minor injuries.
Bus operator Stagecoach South said an investigation into the circumstances was under way.
The three badly hurt children were taken to hospital and the 13 youngsters who suffered minor injuries were treated at the scene, Hampshire Constabulary said.
All pupils on board were aged between 11 and 16, the force said.
Zoe, 14, who was on the top deck of the bus said the roof fell in on top of everyone “and everyone started screaming”.
“It felt like ‘am I going to live or am I going to die’ – everyone was crying and shaking it was a huge shock”, she said.
Fifteen-year-old Robert Johnson, who was on the lower deck of the bus, said: “I heard crashing upstairs. I thought we’d hit the side of the tunnel, then I saw the top of the bus falling down.”
“Most of the people hurt just had cuts and were bleeding. But there were some people with bad injuries,” he added.
A spokesperson for Stagecoach South said: “Our thoughts are with the children and their families.
“We are carrying out an internal investigation into the circumstances involved in the incident and we will continue to provide the emergency services with our full support.”
The road remains closed between the junction with Andover Road North to School Lane.
A police spokesman said they were working with the school and county council children’s services to provide support to students and parents.
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