Bus crash rescuers say they 'didn't know what they would be faced with'

"We didn't do anything different to what any other person would have done. You don't realise how strong you are until something like that happens."

These are the words of Martyn Pope and Dean Hollands, who were first at the scene of the bus crash in Kidwelly.

Nineteen people were injured, with six taken to hospital, as the X11 service overturned after crashing on the A484 near the Kidwelly roundabout in Carmarthenshire, at about 12:20 BST on Tuesday.

No injuries were believed to be life-threatening, Dyfed-Powys Police said.

Pope, from Ferryside, and Hollands, from Mynnydd y Garreg, both work at Bryn Illtud and Erw Hir care homes in Carmarthenshire and were driving behind the bus in their van.

They immediately got out to start helping people out of the vehicle.

They said they "didn't know what we'd be faced with".

Hollands added that "the adrenaline kicked in" as they started to take out a window and smashed through the doors.

The pair described how passengers were "crying and screaming" as passersby rushed to break them out.

Pope said: "As we came around the corner the coach was in the field.

"We've got tools in the back of the van so we grabbed a couple of hammers and dashed down onto the field.

"People were crying and screaming, making a not very nice noise."

He added: "When we saw the bus from the top it was rolled over and there's no seat belts on buses so people would have been thrown all over the place."

He said there was a "15-20ft drop" down to the field and emergency services were bringing lots of water as it was so hot.

Hollands said: "There was a lady on the floor and she was actually lying on the glass windows as the bus was on its side, so Martyn went to the front, I went to the back, pulled one old lady out and an old chap. Then me and Martyn took the doors out."

They said they also let out a gentleman with a baby as well as a dog.

"We started clearing the debris, loads of people had been food shopping so there was food everywhere. There were disabled walkers in the way."

Both men praised the emergency services for their response.

They later learned that the elderly lady they helped was the mother of one of their colleagues at the care home, who had broken ribs and a hip.

Describing the types of injuries that people had, Pope said there were "lots of cuts, head injuries, people with dislocations and a lot of shaken up people".

Sally-Ann Morgan Smith's son Connor was on the X11, and was travelling to meet friends in Swansea.

She said she got a call from the 17-year-old at 13:50 telling her what had happened.

"From what he told me a car overtook a bike and the bus braked hard. The bus was juddering and then it hit the verge and went over."

Morgan Smith described "the longest journey ever" to get to Connor, adding that "he might be 17, but he's still my baby."

Connor was sent to Glangwili hospital as his pulse was really high.

Although shaken, Morgan Smith said he was OK now.

"He's got a bad knee, a bad arm and aching everywhere.

"He had his headphones on so he wasn't really paying attention much, but he could hear the screams through the rock music of his headphones.

"Then he hit the side and went down."

Morgan Smith said she was grateful for the kindness of strangers and wanted to thank the people who were at the scene helping.

"There was a lady there who took them all water, the drinks ran out so Connor gave his drink to an old lady."

She added she was "100% proud" of her son who activated the emergency exit straight after the crash.

"Connor's quite a quiet child, he's quite shy so I was very proud of him."

Local farmer Jacko Thomas rents the field the bus crashed into.

He said he counted himself "lucky" as he was due to mow there that day.

Describing the scene as "like a warzone", he helped ferry people away in his pickup.

"The bus was on its side and bodies everywhere, I was gobsmacked, honest to god I was just going to go mow that field," he said.

He said it was "quite scary" seeing all the emergency services and injured people.

"People were laying on the floor everywhere," he said, adding he was "shocked" that it wasn't any worse.

Thomas and two others took "the walking wounded" to get help in their John Deer farm buggy.

"It was quite difficult with some because they were in quite some pain, there were two old ladies."

According to the farmer, the fire and rescue services said it was "a good thing we were there" to help move people, with the added pressure of the heat.

He said he had been "waiting for years for a car or motorbike to come through that hedge", as vehicles often drive fast on that stretch of road.

"The roads aren't fit for purpose. They're not wide enough for buses or lorries."