Bosses issue new statement after two double decker buses wrecked in crash

Transport bosses have issued a statement after seventeen people were injured in a bus crash.

An air ambulance landed and emergency services were scrambled to Rochdale Road, in Collyhurst, at about 8.30am today (Saturday). Images taken shortly after the collision, which involved two double-decker buses, showed passengers being forced to free themselves from the wreckage.

According to eyewitnesses, the rear and front of two separate buses collided in the incident. The impact shunted one of the vehicles into metal fencing at the perimeter of a large open-air car park near to the city centre.

READ MORE: Man jailed after Manchester Airport officers have a look in his luggage

The front of one bus was left completely mangled. At least one person on the upper deck of one of the buses was left trapped and needed to be rescued by firefighters.

At least 17 people were injured and taken to hospital. None of their injuries are believed to be serious.

The cause of the incident remains unknown. Rochdale Road was closed near to the junction with Livesey Street for over three hours as emergency services dealt with the aftermath of the smash.

In a statement issued this evening, a spokesperson for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said: "We can confirm that both buses involved in this morning’s collision were Bee Network services operated by Stagecoach. We will be assisting GMP with their investigation, and we are not yet in a position to provide any more information than that already issued by emergency services."

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 8.45am this morning (Saturday 9 November), two fire engines from Phillips Park and Broughton fire stations were called to a crash involving two buses on Rochdale Road, Manchester.

“Crews arrived quickly and worked with Greater Manchester Police and North West Ambulance Service to make the area safe. Firefighters extricated one person from the upper deck of the bus and13 casualties were transferred to North Manchester General Hospital under the care of North West Ambulance Service. Fire crews were in attendance for just over an hour."

A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesperson said: "At 8.30am this morning we were called to reports of a road traffic collision between two buses on Rochdale Road, Manchester. No serious injuries have been reported."