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Girl killed in school coach crash as heavy snow hits UK

01 April 2010 04:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Heavy snow and strong winds in parts of the UK have brought travel chaos to roads and cuts to power supplies, APA reports citing BBC News.
Natasha Paton, 17, from Cleghorn, was killed when a school coach on a trip to Alton Towers crashed on the A73 at Wiston, near Biggar, South Lanarkshire.
Police rescued 300 people from vehicles including a school bus stuck in snow on the Glenshane Pass, near Londonderry.
Some 30,000 homes in Northern Ireland and up to 27,000 in Scotland are without power after lines came down.
Temperatures have remained close to zero in much of Scotland, with the warmest conditions recorded in south-west England.
’Beloved daughter’
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for Wednesday night and early Thursday in Scotland for areas such as the Highlands, Grampian, Lothian and Borders.
There were also warnings of widespread icy roads in Northern Ireland.
The teenager’s parents issued a statement in which they said they were "devastated" at the loss of their "beloved daughter", adding that she would "be greatly missed by all who knew her".
The school coach was carrying 39 students from Lanark Grammar School, five members of staff and a driver.
The vehicle left the road and finished on its side just after 0600 BST.
Three other children were seriously injured and there were minor injuries to eight people. Two people were airlifted to hospital in Glasgow.
NHS Lanarkshire said 44 people in total had received hospital treatment following the crash, 19 of whom remained in various hospitals around Lanarkshire and Glasgow.
The health board said all the patients were in a stable condition.
And South Lanarkshire Council said its "thoughts and prayers" were with Natasha’s family.
Strathclyde Police said the crash was being investigated but road conditions were "horrendous".
’Treacherous’ conditions
Ch Insp Steven Cargin, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said the Glenshane Pass rescue operation had involved police, mountain rescue and coastguard workers.
Superintendent Iain Murray of Strathclyde Police on the bus crash
Motorists were taken to Dungiven Leisure Centre, in Derry, only for a power failure to strike, forcing them to relocate to nearby Limavady and Maghera.
Some had spent 10 hours in their vehicles without food and drink.
Police said no-one had been injured in the operation, although nine people had refused to leave their vehicles.
Officers said driving conditions across Northern Ireland were "treacherous" and advised motorists to slow down.
Meanwhile, police in Northumberland urged motorists to be careful on the roads because of poor visibility and heavy rainfall.
The Environment Agency has four flood warnings in place for north-east England and one in Wales.