SCHOOL children are lucky to be alive after the roof of their double decker bus was ripped off as its driver tried to go under a low bridge.

Thai students studying at the Cavendish School of English in Bournemouth escaped serious injury despite many of them being on the top deck at the time of yesterday's crash.

Just two of the teenagers were taken to hospital, both suffering from minor injuries.

The accident happened as the bus tried to go under the bridge at the junction of Clingan Road and Cranleigh Road, outside Stourfield School, just before 8.30am.

Hundreds of pupils were on their way to both the junior and infant schools but no-one else was hurt despite the roof crashing to the ground and flying glass and debris.

The road was closed on both sides of the bridge, as was the train line across the bridge, until 12pm.

Head of Stourfield Junior, Emma Rawson, told the Daily Echo: "I was in my office talking to one of my senior team when we heard an almighty crash.

"Someone said a lorry had gone into the bridge but when we got outside we realised it was a bus. I got on to the bus and some of the children downstairs were quite distressed.

"I was amazed when more children started coming down the stairs from the top deck."

Miss Rawson said she helped the students - around 16 young people from Thailand aged between 14 and 16 - into Stourfield Junior and contacted Cavendish School of English for assistance.

Two thirteen year old girls were injured, one with a possible fractured finger and the second with head injuries.

Teresa Hughes was on her way to work in Southbourne when she saw the bus with its roof ripped off outside Stourfield Junior School.

She said: “I was heading from Clingan Road towards Cranleigh Road and I couldn’t believe what I saw.

“The roof is completely off and its right outside the school. It was very lucky that no one was killed.

She said the bus did not appear to be from a company which usually operates in the area and added: “I’ve never seen one like that before.”

One woman said she saw children duck before witnessing what she thought was an open-top bus coming towards her, as it travelled towards the Cranleigh pub. The bus came to a stop about 30 metres after the point of impact.

Mum-of-two Vicky Chadwick said she was amazed no one was hurt.

Resident Deborah Duke added: "It's just unbelievable."

Cavendish School’s Operations Manager, Nathan Santangelo-Barber, said: “We are devastated here. We have no idea why the driver attempted to drive under that bridge.

“The bridge is clearly marked and there are also warnings in the cab of the bus.

“Our first priority is the welfare of the children who are now all back at school and were happy to go back in class right away.”

He said the driver, who has not been named, has been “taken under suspension pending an investigation.”

The bus is operated by the school’s sister company, Cavendish Liner, and was collecting children from host families to allow them to be chaperoned to school.

Mr Santangelo-Barber said the driver is helping police with their inquiries.