Bus crashes in snow-hit Britain

23 Dec 2009, 4:03 pm   -   Source: AAP
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A bus has crashed in icy conditions in snow-hit Britain, killing one person and injuring 48 others, police say.

A bus has crashed in icy conditions in snow-hit Britain, killing one person and injuring 48 others, police say.

Rescue workers backed by a Royal Air Force helicopter ferried the injured to hospital after the bus flipped over on a narrow road in the village of Townshend in Cornwall in southwest England, police said on Wednesday.

Five passengers were seriously hurt, while one was critically injured and the rest were "walking wounded," Devon and Cornwall Police said.

"The passenger killed was a woman who was pronounced dead at the scene," a police spokesman told AFP.

Road conditions in the area were "treacherous," hampering attempts to get to the accident, police and ambulance officers said.

"The report from the crews that arrived was that it was extremely icy," said Dan Thorogood, from the South Western Ambulance Service.

"We had quite some difficulty getting to the coach itself because of the condition of the roads," he told Sky News.

The passengers had been on a trip to see Christmas lights at Mousehole on Tuesday in Cornwall when the accident occurred, police said in a statement.

Freezing weather across Britain has caused widespread problems on roads, with snow and ice grinding traffic to a halt in some areas.

Across Europe, flights have also been cancelled and trains delayed, leaving passengers stranded and throwing Christmas travel plans into chaos.

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