Rescuers have spoken out about their heroic efforts after using tools from their van to free passengers trapped in an overturned bus in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire. Martyn Pope and Dean Hollands, who work at Bryn Illtud and Erw Hir care homes, were driving directly behind the X11 service when it crashed on the A484 near the Kidwelly roundabout on Tuesday, around 12:20 BST.
As the bus rolled into a field, the men sprang into action. “The adrenaline kicked in,” Hollands explained, describing how they grabbed hammers from their van to smash through doors and remove windows, allowing passengers to escape. Pope added that the scene was one of “chaos and despair”, with people making a “terrible noise” as they were thrown around inside the vehicle, which lacked seatbelts.
Nineteen individuals sustained injuries in the incident, with six requiring hospital treatment. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening. The rescuers also helped an elderly woman who was found lying on shattered glass – it later emerged she was the mother of one of their colleagues and had suffered broken ribs and a hip.
The pair assisted a man with a baby and a dog, while clearing debris such as food shopping and disabled walkers from the scene. Many passengers had cuts, head injuries, dislocations, and were severely shaken, Pope noted. Both men commended the swift response of the emergency services who arrived shortly after.
Connor, a 17-year-old passenger on the bus, described hearing screams through his headphones as the bus braked hard after a car allegedly overtook a bike, causing it to hit the verge and overturn. His mother, Sally-Ann Morgan Smith, praised her son for activating an emergency exit and expressed gratitude for the kindness of strangers who provided water and help at the scene.