Belgium coach crash: Brentwood School pupils come home

Schoolchildren involved in a coach crash in Belgium in which a driver died have returned to Essex.

James "Geordie" Chance, from Northern Ireland, was killed when the bus carrying 34 Brentwood School pupils crashed on a motorway on Sunday.

Two boys remain in hospital in Belgium. One of them, aged 13, was treated in intensive care for a head injury.

Several pupils travelled back to the UK late on Sunday night on a coach arranged by the school.

Brentwood School head Ian Davies tweeted, external to say the coach had arrived just before midnight on Sunday.

He later confirmed the pupil was out of intensive care, external and "results of his latest brain scan are very positive".

Mr Davies said pupils and staff would be offered counselling, but the school was open as normal for those not involved in Sunday's events.

The Belgian authorities are working to establish details of the crash, which happened on the A18 (E40) at Middelkerke, West Flanders. Eyewitnesses said the bus crashed into a motorway bridge pillar.

A spokesman for Middelkerke's local authority said two children and one adult were kept in hospital overnight.

Medical staff will decide if the boys can be discharged later today, and the adult patient will be discharged later this week, the spokesman added.

BBC Essex reporter Richard Smith

Belgian Police told me the crash happened between the junctions for the small seaside town of Middelkerke.

As I used the motorway, I realised it would be possible to drive past without realising what had happened less than 24 hours ago.

Earlier on, I stood on top of the bridge as the sun came up. There was no obvious sign of the collision below. No signs, no roadworks.

The modern-looking Sint Augustinus hospital in Veurne where a 13-year-old boy is in intensive care is a short distance from the busy E40 motorway.

I understand he's been undergoing tests and had a scan on a small brain bleed as a result of a fractured skull.

The 34 children who were on that coach, all aged between 11 and 13, and their teachers - I don't think they're ever going to forget the school trip which violently stopped before it could start.

One of the boys, 12, is being treated for leg injuries at a hospital in Bruges.

Other students, a number of whom were treated for cuts, bruising and swelling, were picked up by their parents who travelled to Belgium.

The teacher in charge of the trip was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone.

A spokesman for Richmond Coaches, the bus operator, said the company was "devastated" to hear of the death of Mr Chance, who was in his 50s and was a grandfather of five.

He was sitting in the coach's courier seat when the vehicle crashed at 09:45 local time (08:45 BST), the company confirmed.

The bus's driver, Stephen Cardwell, who is also from Northern Ireland, is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

Brendan McKenna, director of Richmond Coaches, said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families that have been affected by this tragic accident."

Brentwood School's head Mr Davies said the coach returned just before midnight on Sunday.

"There was quite a welcoming party when the coach eventually drew up. I was quite shocked at some of the injuries the teachers had sustained," he said.

Mr Davies added that counsellors would be on hand "for the next week".

"I would expect staff who were involved in the trip and certainly all the children to make use of that counselling opportunity," he said.

"I don't think it's a quick fix, its something that will go on for long time."

Brentwood School