Police are continuing to investigate the cause of an accident in which six people were killed and eight seriously injured after an out-of-control bin lorry ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in Glasgow city centre.
The deadly accident happened at around 2.30pm on Monday on busy George Square when the area was teeming with last-minute Christmas shoppers and visitors to the ice rink and amusements in the square.
Witnesses said that in the space of a few seconds a city council bin lorry that had been travelling up Queen Street, which bounds the west side of George Square, mounted the pavement, scattering pedestrians “like pinballs” – in the words of several onlookers.
The 14-tonne truck then returned to the road and only came to rest when it crashed into the side of the Millennium hotel, on the north edge of the square.
Police Scotland said there was no evidence of a criminal or deliberate act. Witnesses said the driver appeared slumped at the wheel after the vehicle had come to rest. There were reports he may have suffered a heart attack.
Those injured in the crash, including the driver, were continuing to receive treatment on Tuesday at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, the Southern General and the Western Infirmary, authorities said.
Prayers will be said for the victims at a special church gathering on Tuesday. Reverend Alastair Duncan will lead the service at St George’s Tron at 11.30am.
Church of Scotland Moderator, the Right Reverend John Chalmers, said: “The news from the city centre of Glasgow just a few days before Christmas is simply devastating.”
Witness Anjam Luthra described scenes of panic as people tried to get out of the path of the careering lorry. “The lorry mounted the pavement and was just dragging everything with it. People started dialling 999 immediately. I saw at least two people lying in the middle of the street; they were getting CPR.”
Another witness, Melanie Greg, told Sky News she feared a baby was among the casualties.
“The bin lorry just lost control,” she said. “It went along the pavement, knocking everyone like pinballs. There was a baby in a buggy, and it just continued knocking people down until it ended up in the building.
“The only way it stopped was hitting the building. People were trying to run out of the way. But when something was coming out behind them like that, how can they run out of the way? There was noise, bangs, screams and everything. It was just horrific.”
A comedian, Janey Godley, who entered the square just after the incident took place, posted a photograph of traffic poles flattened to the ground by the force of the vehicle.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Godley said: “It was like something out of a horror movie. The traffic poles in Queen Street were bent like straws as they had been run over by vehicles. I heard there was a taxi involved as well as the bin lorry and when I reached the scene I couldn’t see the bin lorry.
“I saw one person on the ground being given CPR in Queen Street and then another two. It was really awful and you could hear the screams above the sirens.”
Findlay Mair, 23, a journalist who witnesses the scene, said: “I saw one girl who had been hit, lying on the ground. She got up, and blood was pouring from her mouth, then she went down again. She was young, of student age. She just screamed, and screamed, and then fell down again. She had terrible injuries.”
Speaking to the Telegraph, Mair added: “There was Christmas shopping littered everywhere, among the bodies and bits of the vehicle. And there was blood everywhere. Time seemed to stand still. It was a terrible, terrible scene.”
Most of the casualties are believed to have occurred between the Gallery of Modern Art and George Square, a distance of around 250 metres.
As the emergency services arrived, crowds flocked around the hastily erected police cordon. One woman wept as she tried to find her husband.
It is the second major tragedy to hit Scotland’s largest city in little over a year. In November 2013, 10 people lost their lives when a police helicopter crashed into the popular Clutha Vaults pub on the north bank of the River Clyde, not far from Monday’s incident.
Local MSP Sandra White, who lives nearby, went to the scene of the lorry crash as soon as she heard about it and described the sense of shock in the city centre.
“People have been saying: ‘Please no, not another tragedy a year after the Clutha Vaults’. People are coming into the town centre at this time of year to enjoy themselves and see the shows, go shopping, and a tragedy like this happens, it really is shocking.”
Witnesses were being interviewed by detectives to establish the sequence of events. Police Scotland appealed for people still in the city centre to call their loved ones and let them know that they were safe, in order to keep their helpline clear for those who need it.
Police have appealed for members of the public to send in photos, videos and mobile footage of the incident to a dedicated email address to help them piece together the sequence of events that led to the crash.
George Square’s Christmas lights were turned off late on Monday night as a mark of respect for the victims of the tragedy. Glasgow city council had offered to do so earlier in the evening, but police requested that they stayed on to assist them with their inquiries.
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, described the tragedy as “another sad day for Glasgow and Scotland”.
She said: “My thoughts are with everyone involved in this tragic incident. As ever, Scotland’s emergency services have responded in a swift and professional manner and I would encourage everyone to let them get on with their vitally important roles.
The Scottish Conservatives’ leader, Ruth Davidson, who was shopping in nearby Argyle Street at the time, also praised the swift response of the emergency services, saying: “It would appear that the response, just like last year with the Clutha disaster, by passersby, pedestrians, normal Glaswegians has been magnificent.
As darkness fell, with the police cordon still in place, members of the public arrived to leave bouquets of flowers for the victims.
With the majority of emergency service vehicles gone from the scene, an uneasy calm descended as the square’s usually buzzing amusements stood idle.
Paula Stern, a teacher who had been enjoying an afternoon out with friends, said that the city centre felt strange. “It’s an eerie feeling. People are still out and about but they’re quiet. I think everyone feels like they should be at home with their family and friends tonight.”
