Passengers who were trapped on the top deck of a bus when it smashed into shops on a busy London high street have been rescued by fire fighters.
Two people were trapped on the upper deck of the bus after it crashed in Lavender Hill, near Clapham Junction, just before 7am this morning.
Witnesses said the bus began “drifting” before it crashed, while others said there was a “lot of blood” following the accident.
A major emergency response was launched, with police officers, paramedics and the fire brigade all in attendance at the scene of the crash. An air ambulance was also dispatched.
A total of ten people suffered minor injuries in the collision, with paramedics treating some at the scene.
The driver has been taken to a south London hospital.
According to the London Fire Brigade, crews used a ladder to bring the trapped passengers to safety.
Photos on social media show the bus smashed into the front of the Poggen Pohl Kitchen Design Centre, with glass and debris scattered across the road.
Andrew Matthews, a Wandsworth resident, told the Press Association he was one of about a dozen passengers on the bus.
“I noticed the bus drifting. I heard a smash and saw the roof of the shop going through the bus from the front left. It went to the fourth or fifth row,” he said.
“I wedged myself in, bracing myself. As soon as the bus came to a stop there was yelling, screaming.
“I noticed a lady wedged in the front right-hand side. She was screaming for help. There was a lot of blood.”
The road is currently closed to traffic. Firefighters remain at the scene to stabilise the shop.
A nurse named Amy Mullineux told the Evening Standard how she desperately battled to help one trapped passenger, while fearing the bus would catch fire.
“I went on the top of the stairs. There was a lady up there. I have got her blood all over me,” she said.
“She was bad. She was crushed to about her waist. I couldn’t see her legs - the bus was crushed in.”
After being rushed off the bus after smoke began to appear, Mullineux says she and others help to drag the driver off the double decker, who she claims had had “some kind of fit”.
“When I saw him he was dazed, and we pulled him out. We were helping to pull people out,” she added.
The bus involved in the crash was the number 77 travelling towards London Waterloo.
Transport for London said a “full investigation is under way”.