
A driver killed when a coach carrying 34 British school pupils crashed in Belgium, leaving a 13-year-old boy with a fractured skull, has been named.

Grandfather-of-five James 'Geordie' Chance was taking a break between driving shifts when the crash happened in Middelkerke in West Flanders.

Mr Chance, from Tyne and Wear, was a regular driver for coach company Richmond Coaches, based in Lisburn in Country Antrim, Northern Ireland, where he also lived.

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Killed: James 'Geordie' Chance died when a coach carrying 34 British school pupils crashed in Belgium, as he took a break from driving

The scene of the coach crash in Belgium, where more than 30 British children were on board leaving the driver dead and others injured

Some of the children who were on the coach stand at the side of the road after being pulled to safety from the vehicle after it overturned

All of the children survived and most suffered only minor injuries, but one child is in intensive care in hospital with serious head injuries

Paramedics comfort some of the children involved in the bus crash, while it was travelling through Belgium en route to Cologne

His colleague Stephen Cardwell was behind the wheel at the time of the crash, and it is believed Mr Chance was sitting next to the coach's driver when it crashed into a motorway bridge. He died at the scene, and Mr Cardwell is injured in hospital.

Their names were confirmed in a statement from their employer, which read: 'Richmond Coaches confirms that one of its drivers sadly lost his life in today's crash in Belgium.

'The two drivers in their mid-fifties were James Chance and Stephen Cardwell. Mr Cardwell remains in hospital with his condition described as stable.

'Richmond Coaches were devastated to hear of the death of their second driver, Mr Chance who was sitting in the courier seat at the time of the crash. Mr Chance's family have been informed of his death.

'Richmond Coaches would like to reassure all families of the children and teachers that none of the passengers have sustained life threatening injuries.'

The company's director Brendan McKenna added that his 'thoughts and prayers' were with all the families affected.

Lagan Valley Assembly member Edwin Poots said: 'There's a great sense of shock in the local community at this tragic loss of life.

'Multiple questions remain about what happened but all that matters at the moment is this family is given the space and time to grieve and that all the injured make as quick a recovery as possible.'

Tonight a British teenager remains critically ill in a Belgian hospital after the crash.

The 13-year-old was one of 34 children in the vehicle when it smashed into a motorway bridge before rolling onto its side and into a ditch while travelling to Germany yesterday.

The accident happened just before 10am. Emergency services raced to the scene at the side of the motorway where the bus overturned

Emergency workers were at the scene of the coach crash, retrieving pupils' rucksacks and luggage from the overturned coach

Everyone was trapped inside the crumpled vehicle until emergency services managed to release them.

Three children from co-educational Brentwood School in Essex, where fees for day pupils are £15,993 a year and for boarders more than £31,000, were taken to hospital, including the boy who is in intensive care with a bleed on the brain.

One teacher was left with a broken collar bone and another suffered a fractured arm. The assistant driver suffered serious injuries.

Headmaster Ian Davies said he was contacted by a member of staff yesterday morning and described it as ‘one of those calls which every headteacher does not want to get’.

He added: ‘We have one boy who is currently in intensive care because he has a fractured skull.

‘He has a brain bleed – a very small brain bleed that they are monitoring very carefully and they will scan again in 24 hours but in the meantime they are keeping him in intensive care just to make sure that he is well.’

A map showing where a bus has crashed in northern Belgium, which was carrying British children and eight adults

Injured victims of the crash are being cared for in the Middlekerke area in West Flanders, according to a police spokesman

After the crash, some of the children were trapped in the coach, operated by Richmond Coaches from Belfast, Northern Ireland

The pupils aged 11 to 13 and six teachers from the school were on their way to Cologne as part of a four-day foreign language trip when the coach crashed into a support pillar underneath the bridge, just before 10am local time.

No other vehicles are understood to have been involved and Belgian police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Pictures from the scene near Middelkerke, close to the coast in West Flanders, showed the vehicle lying on its side by the E40 motorway.

Most of the boys and girls escaped with cuts and bruises. None of those involved has been named. Thirty-five firemen, ten police officers, three doctors, three nurses and ten ambulances were sent to the scene.

Last night 25 of the pupils were on their way home while the worried parents of other youngsters were travelling to Belgium to be with their children, along with two senior members of staff.

The second driver of the coach, Stephen Cardwell, was at the wheel at the time of the crash and is now in hospital in Belgium

Headteacher of Brentwood School in Essex Ian Davies gave a briefing after children from the school were involved in a coach crash

The children on board the coach were from independent Brentwood School in Essex, pictured, where fees are up to £31,000 a year

One father, who asked not to be named, said: ‘For most of the children, it sounds like it could have been a lot more serious in terms of injuries.’

Following the accident, a crisis centre was set up at a local swimming pool where food, clothing and psychological assistance was provided to those who had been on the coach.

Middelkerke mayor Janna Rommel-Opstaele said: ‘Some of the children suffered light injuries and were taken to the local medical centre. The crash is being investigated.’

Brentwood School, which has 1,500 boys and girls aged three to 18, was founded in 1557 and has a Tudor school room and Victorian chapel. It is in the centre of Brentwood.

The school’s former pupils include Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams and former foreign secretary Jack Straw.