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Coach Believed To Have Slipped On Ice

23/12/2009

Two women have died and another 47 people have been injured in a coach crash in Cornwall. The coach is thought to have skidded on sheet ice and rolled on to its side as it went down a hill on a country road at Townshend, near Hayle. It is believed passengers were on their way home from a trip to see Christmas lights in the village of Mousehole. The injured were taken to Treliske Hospital in Truro after the crash, which happened at 2215 on Tuesday.

A police spokesman said one of the women killed was pronounced dead at the scene. The other is believed to have died after being taken to hospital. Police said the women were from the west Cornwall area. The first police car to arrive at the scene lost control on the same stretch of road and crashed into the overturned coach. The two officers inside the vehicle were not injured. Of the 47 people hurt, four are described as seriously injured and the rest are "walking wounded".

A police spokesman said the coach would not be recovered until later on Wednesday if the weather allowed. The coach left the road, hit a tree and ploughed through a hedge before coming to a stop on its side.
 
Insp Matt Shaw said: "It seems from initial investigations that the coach has slipped on ice. The road is covered in a sheet of ice, it's treacherous, it's difficult to even walk down there. It's been difficult because of the number of people on board the coach and of course the number of rescue workers and the various agencies involved. It's been extremely busy."

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