- Council bin lorry crashed in city centre square shortly after 2.30pm
- Witnesses said the truck was out of control and ploughed into pedestrians
- Feared three members of the same family were among the dead
- The area, close to busy Christmas marked was packed with shoppers
- Shopper said people were knocked down ‘like pinballs’
- She also said ‘baby in a buggy’ and ‘two little kids’ caught up in the panic
- Lorry travelled for up to 200 yards before crashing into a hotel
- Police confirm six dead and eight people were injured in crash
- Woman in her twenties was the first to be hit
- Two women also hit near pizzeria in Queen Street
- Officers have not confirmed reports driver suffered heart attack or seizure
- He survived but is among those being treated in hospital
- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon describes tragedy as ‘another sad day for Glasgow and Scotland’
- Police confirm crash is ‘not a terrorism-related incident’
Horror descended on Glasgow yesterday as an out-of-control bin lorry ploughed into Christmas shoppers, leaving six dead and eight injured.
The truck mounted a pavement crammed with pedestrians and careered into them before thundering towards the city’s main square where more people were hit.
Last night it was feared three members of the same family were among the dead, while witnesses said a baby in a buggy and young children were caught up in the chaos.
The vehicle finally stopped after slamming into the Millennium Hotel on George Square, next to the entrance of the city’s Queen Street Station, leaving a 200-yard trail of carnage behind it.
The cause of the crash was still being investigated last night, but police have said it was not a terrorism-related incident, and ‘nothing more sinister’ than a fatal traffic accident.
Clearly dead victims lay in pools of blood, their Christmas shopping spilled on the pavements beside them, as screams filled the air. One minute the square was awash with last-minute gift-hunters and children enjoying a festive fun fair; the next, it was a disaster area.
Last night it was thought the lorry driver may have lost control after suffering a heart attack or a seizure. Some witnesses reported seeing him slumped over the wheel. He was among eight people taken to hospital, some of them reportedly seriously hurt.
The Glasgow City Council bin lorry had been travelling north on the city’s Queen Street at around 2.30pm when the driver appeared to lose control of it.
Witnesses said it mounted the pavement outside the Gallery of Modern Art, close to the iconic Duke of Wellington statue, hitting the first pedestrian, a woman in her twenties there.
It then appeared to accelerate, knocking people down ‘like skittles’, striking two women at a pizzeria and further people down the street.
How the horror unfolded: 1) Bin lorry is travelling north along Queen Street when it mounts pavement. 2) A woman in her twenties is hit close to the Duke of Wellington statue. 3) Two women are hit near La Vita Pizzeria in Queen Street, while several other people are struck further along the road. 4) The lorry careers through traffic lights and across St Vincent’s Place. 5) It hits a silver Skoda taxi, knocking it across the road at the entrance to Queen Street station. 6) In this picture taken from inside the railway station, the Skoda and bin lorry are seen when they come to rest
Some were able to dive out of its path into shop doorways. But others did not even realise what was happening until it was too late.
The bin lorry then veered back onto the road and careered through red lights as it travelled past the enormous ferris wheel and merry-go-round at the western end of George Square. It also hit a silver taxi outside Queen Street station.
The truck is thought to have hit more people waiting to cross the road outside the Millennium Hotel before crashing into it and finally stopping.
The area was busy with shoppers and children heading to a Christmas funfair at the time.
Investigations into the incident are still in the very early stages, but one element experts will examine is how the vehicle travelled around 328 yards in an almost straight line before it came to rest.
‘We can confirm that six people have died as a result,’ said a Police Scotland statement.
‘Emergency services are currently at the scene.
Witnesses say the truck was out of control as it entered George Square and ploughed into pedestrians. Pictured right is a police officer taking a bunch of flowers to lay at the crash site
Police officers watch over a growing number of floral tributes left at the crash site in the wake of the tragedy
‘Police have declared the scene a major incident.’
The force added: ‘Eight people receiving treatment for their injuries across three Glasgow city hospitals. We will update further when we can.’
All roads in the surrounding area were immediately sealed off and people were told to stay away from George Square, and to let their families know they were safe.
All of the casualties, including the lorry driver, were taken to the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Western Infirmary.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson, Local Policing Commander for the West, said investigations into what caused the crash were ongoing.
‘We can however confirm that this is not a terrorism-related incident,’ he said.
Last night, police continued to investigate the tragedy as emergency workers, their efforts poignantly lit by Christmas lights, began to clear up around the scene.
Shoppers in Glasgow were being advised to contact their families and tell them they were safe
Rescue workers at the scene of the horror crash last night. Police have confirmed six people died
Glasgow City Council said it had considered turning off the lights after the incident, but had been asked by police to leave them on to help illuminate work on the investigation.
A growing number of floral tributes were placed close to the crash site as well-wishers paid their respects to the dead.
Chief Inspector Mark Sutherland said: ‘We are going through the investigation stage to try to establish what happened. It’s too early to say when the lorry will be moved.
EERIE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TRAGEDY AND BRAD PITT FILM
The tragedy bears a striking resemblance to a scene from Brad Pitt’s World War Z, which was filmed in Glasgow in 2011 only yards from where yesterday’s tragedy unfolded.
The zombie film includes a scene in which a bin lorry crashes into several cars as pedestrians scramble out of the way. The movie bin lorry careers along Cochrane Street, before coming to a stop on the corner of George Square.
The 2013 film – produced by and starring Pitt – saw the city centre play the part of Philadelphia. The film grossed nearly £350million.
The tragedy bears a striking resemblance to a scene from Brad Pitt’s World War Z
‘We will take our time to establish what happened but we will also try to clear the area as soon as we can.
‘The area is busy with shoppers so yes, it could always have been worse, but six people are dead and that’s very serious.’
At the time of the crash, the square had been filled with shoppers and families enjoying a Christmas ice rink and fairground. The attractions have now been closed, along with the rest of the square.
Witnesses reported seeing injured people strewn across the street as bystanders rushed to help them. Some have claimed the driver suffered a heart attack and had been seen slumped over the wheel, while others said he may have experienced some sort of seizure.
Police could not say whether the lorry driver was ill before the crash but said he is being treated at hospital.
Shopper Melanie Greig told Sky News: ‘The lorry just lost control, it just went along the pavement knocking people down like pinballs. There was a baby in a buggy, there were two little kids. It travelled for 150 or 200 yards.’
Police were unable to say if any children were among the casualties, but a spokesman said there had been families in the area at the time.
The incident, on the first day of the Christmas holidays, was witnessed by hundreds of people.
Mobile phone footage recorded loud screams as the vehicle ploughed its devastating path.
One witness, Shirin Abdyedner, 20, a trainee nurse, said: ‘We came down the street and there were people just lying everywhere. The lorry was crashed into the train station and there were people covered in white sheets.
‘There was a man lying with his bag of shopping beside him. He was dead.’
She added: ‘I’m a nurse and wanted to see if I could help people out but there was nothing I could do. There were just so many people lying in the street crying. I didn’t know what to do except cry. I was just crying.’
Another witness, Must Adama, was driving behind the bin lorry and saw the disaster unfold.
-dailymail.com-
