UK School Coach Crash In Belgium: Driver Dies

A coach driver has been killed after a bus carrying staff and pupils from a school in Essex crashed in Belgium.

The driver, one of two on the coach, was named as James "Geordie" Chance, a grandfather of five, from Lisburn in County Antrim.

He was believed to have been sitting next to a second driver, who was in charge of the vehicle when it crashed into a motorway bridge.

The second driver was seriously injured, police said.

The bus was carrying 34 first and second year pupils - aged between 11 and 13 - from Brentwood School, along with six teachers and the two drivers, all on their way to a theme park in the German city of Cologne.

A child was in intensive care after suffering a fractured skull in the crash, the school said.

The school's headteacher Ian Davies said: "All of the children managed to walk off the coach.

"One of the children subsequently had a head injury. He had a scan and they found a small brain bleed as part of his fractured skull."

At least one other child was also seriously injured in the crash and 15 of those on board have minor injuries.

Those who were not injured were taken to a crisis centre where the community of Middelkerke, a town in West Flanders near the coast, has set up a support service providing clothing, food and psychological assistance.

Two senior members of the school staff have travelled to Belgium to help.

The bus hit a bridge support and rolled over on the E40 motorway near Middelkerke at 9.45am local time on Sunday morning.

The coach involved in the crash is owned by Richmond Coaches of Ballinderry Road, Lisburn, in Northern Ireland.

In a statement, it said: "Richmond Coaches confirms that one of its drivers sadly lost his life in today's crash in Belgium.

"The two drivers in their mid-fifties were James Chance and Stephen Cardwell. Mr Cardwell remains in hospital with his condition described as stable.

"Richmond Coaches were devastated to hear of the death of their second driver, Mr Chance who was sitting in the courier seat at the time of the crash. Mr Chance's family have been informed of his death."

He said the company's thoughts were with everyone involved.

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness expressed his condolences.

"Very said to learn of the coach crash in Belgium in which a driver from Lisburn has been killed," he tweeted. "Thoughts are with his family & those injured."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "A team from the British Embassy is on the ground alongside the Belgian local authorities and are working hard to support the people caught up in this terrible incident.

"Our Deputy Ambassador to Belgium, Katrina Johnson, has met the brave school children and teachers affected. We are in contact with Brentwood school, and will be working to get them home as quickly as possible."