Bin Lorry Crashes Into Shoppers: Six Dead

A council refuse lorry has crashed into a crowd of Christmas shoppers in Glasgow city centre, killing six people and injuring eight.

The crowd were waiting to cross the road outside Queen Street station by the Millennium Hotel on George Square and some people are thought to have been thrown up to 15 metres from the site of impact.

Pictures published on social media showed people being treated along the length of the street - one police officer said the lorry had careered up to 300 metres along the road before slamming into the hotel.

Witnesses described seeing the driver of the lorry, who is among those being treated in hospital slumped over the wheel.

Reporting from the scene, Sky's Scotland correspondent James Matthews said: "It is an absolutely horrendous spectacle and one of extreme carnage in Glasgow today."

He asked witness Melanie Greig to tell him about the people on the pavement who had been hit, to which she responded: "I can't; honestly I just can't do that."

She continued: "When something is coming up behind them like that, how can they run out of the way? It's such a horrific thing. There was noise and bangs and screams.

"There was a baby in a buggy. There were actually two little kids. It was just horrific."

Witness Anjan Luthra, who works opposite the crash site, told Sky News: "There were two people getting mouth to mouth. There were some bodies that were just untouchable and people were covering them because they were in such a state."

Another witness told Sky News: "People were just in shock, just standing about screaming. A mother with her baby in the pram fainted. Apparently the lorry had just missed her and her child."

Police have declared the scene a major incident and confirmed there have been six fatalities, but they say they do not believe the incident is terrorism related.

A statement released by Police Scotland said: "About 2.30pm today, a Glasgow City Council bin lorry was travelling north on Queen Street when it appeared to strike pedestrians outside the Gallery of Modern Art.

"It continued to travel towards George Square, where it crashed at the Millennium Hotel on Queen Street."

All casualties, including the driver of the lorry, who is said to have been lucid following the crash, have been taken to the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Western Infirmary.

Lauren Gilmore, a shopper in George Square, said: "Just over a year ago, we had another tragedy in Glasgow – it was the helicopter crash. And now this has happened again just before Christmas."

Witness Janey Godley tweeted: "Utter horrific carnage people on ground getting triage street poles smashed into pavement emergency services all over it."

In a statement, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said : "My thoughts are with everyone involved in this tragic incident, and especially with the friends and families of the six people who lost their lives in what is another sad day for Glasgow and Scotland.

She has requested that flags at Scottish government buildings be flown at half-mast.

Glasgow City Council has also ordered that the Christmas lights at George Square be switched off as a mark of respect.

:: For those people who are concerned, Police Scotland have set up an emergency hotline on: 01786 289 070.