Glasgow bin lorry crash: Six people confirmed dead after truck careers along pavement

 
Pedestrians hit: The lorry after the crash in Glasgow (Picture: PA)
Robin de Peyer23 December 2014

Six people died after an out-of-control bin lorry careered into pedestrians in a busy street in the centre of Glasgow.

Police Scotland confirmed six people were dead and eight more were seriously injured after witnesses said the truck knocked down pedestrians "like pinballs" during a 150 metre run along a pavement.

Detectives said they don't believed there is anything "sinister" about the tragedy. The driver is among those injured in hospital.

A "major incident" was declared after the crash in Glasgow's George Square close to Queen Street Station at around 2.30 on Monday afternoon.

The area was packed with Christmas shoppers when witnesses said the lorry lost control and only stopped when it hurtled into a building.

Witness Melanie Greg told Sky News: "The bin lorry just lost control. It went along the pavement, knocking everyone like pinballs.

"There was a baby in a buggy, and it just continued knocking people down until it ended up in the building. Quite horrific, very scary.

"The only way it stopped was hitting the building.

Pedestrians killed by lorry in central Glasgow

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"People were trying to run out of the way. But when something was coming out behind them like that, how can they run out of the way? It was such a horrific thing. Just horrible. You don't expect something to be coming along behind you like that to knock you over.

"There was noise, bangs, screams and everything. It was just horrific."

A Police Scotland statement 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 before continuing to travel towards George Square, when it crashed at the Millennium Hotel."

Superintendent Stewart Carle of Police Scotland sought to reassure people saying: "It's a road traffic accident, nothing more sinister."

Another witness Joty Chopra, 21, told STV: "I was a few feet of way when I heard a big bang and some screams. I ran to see what was there. As I reached the hotel there was a lot of people gathered.

"The first thing I saw was two people on the floor with blood around them. One seems to have been hit in the jaw, blood was coming out of their mouth. The other was lying completely on the floor with a pool of blood around their head.

“One woman who had a young kid with her fell to the floor and was being treated for shock.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Serious accident on George Square in Glasgow involving a bin lorry. Police starting to close the square. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&amp;id=222025&amp;p=https://t.co/rTQfSxkD4d" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2930296-https://t.co/rTQfSxkD4d" data-vars-event-id="c23">https://t.co/rTQfSxkD4d</a>— Peter A Smith (@PeterAdamSmith) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/PeterAdamSmith/status/547045911474733056" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2930296-https://twitter.com/PeterAdamSmith/status/547045911474733056" data-vars-event-id="c23">December 22, 2014</a>

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "My thoughts with everyone involved in dreadful #GeorgeSquare incident. If you are in city centre, please let your relatives know you are ok."

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy tweeted: "There is a major incident in Glasgow's George Square. Multiple emergency services on the scene. Thoughts & prayers with everyone injured."

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