US punk rockers in coach crash
Members of a US punk rock band and their crew are recovering after their tour bus plunged over a viaduct in heavy rain.
The band, Baroness, from Savannah, Georgia, were touring Britain and Europe when their coach crashed through a safety barrier and fell 30ft (9m).
Emergency services said two people, including the driver, were trapped in the wreckage. They were cut free and, having suffered the most serious injuries including multiple fractures, were taken to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
According to Great Western Ambulance Service, the other seven suffered more minor injuries and were taken to Royal United Hospital in Bath.
Baroness's line-up consists of John Baizley, Peter Adams, Matt Maggioni and Allen Blickle. They played in Bristol on Tuesday night and were travelling to a gig in Southampton when the accident happened at the junction of Brassknocker Hill and the A36 in Bath at 11.30am.
A spokesman for the band said: "Baroness were in a serious bus accident last night near Bath, England. The band members and crew are recovering at local hospitals. All tour dates are postponed until further notice."
No other vehicles were in the crash with the single-decker, black and red German coach. It appears that the coach failed to stop at the bottom of the T-junction at Brassknocker Hill and crashed over the viaduct.
An Avon Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "For reasons that are not yet known, the coach failed to stop at the bottom of Brassknocker Hill, travelled across the A36 and left the road, dropping around 30ft below, coming to rest near a canal."
The coach came to a standstill with its wheels still on the ground, taking with it foliage and tree branches which now cover the roof of the vehicle. Coach seats and bits of wood from inside were pulled out and all of its windows were smashed.
An investigation is now under way to establish how and why the coach left the road. The temporary road closures around the scene of the crash were lifted on Wednesday.
