A bus flipped onto its side on a narrow country road near Kidwelly, triggering a major incident that left six people in hospital and closed a key route through Carmarthenshire for hours.
The crash happened shortly after 12:20 BST on Tuesday on the A484 near the Parc y Bocs roundabout. Witnesses said the single-decker bus swerved to avoid a car overtaking a cyclist on a road locals call the “up and down” because of its small bumps. “A customer came in and said a car was overtaking a cyclist, and then the bus came up the other way and swerved out of the way,” one worker told Metro. The bus ended up on its side near a farm shop.
“Six taken to hospital after bus overturns near Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire; major incident declared.”
Dyfed-Powys Police declared a major incident. Two air ambulances landed in a nearby field, and multiple ambulances lined the road as paramedics, firefighters and police officers worked to free those trapped inside.
All passengers were “safely removed” from the bus, police said. The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed six people were taken to hospital for further treatment, but none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening. A rest centre was set up at the John Burns Centre, where welfare arrangements were made for those involved.
First Bus confirmed the vehicle was its X11 service, which runs between Carmarthen and Swansea. Zoe Hands, managing director of First Bus Franchising, said a team from the Ammanford depot went “immediately to support our driver and look after our customers”. She added: “The safety of everyone who travels with us is always our absolute priority.”
Local vicar Father Jim Flanagan was re-routed by the road closures and saw the bus over a hedge. “There were multiple ambulances there, with lights flashing, and an air ambulance had landed in a field,” he said. One of his churches, St Mary’s in Kidwelly, was opened for anyone needing a place.
Hywel Dda University Health Board said its teams were responding to the incident, warning that emergency departments were busy and waiting times would be longer as they treated those with the greatest needs first.
The road between the roundabout at Parc y Bocs and Llandyfaelog was closed, with police directing traffic away. The force urged the public to stay away and find alternative routes.
Dame Nia Griffith, the local MP, said her thoughts were with those involved and the emergency services, reiterating the call for people to avoid the area.
Police said the road was expected to remain closed for some time while investigations were carried out.