Coach crash children fly home

Most of the coach party has returned home

Children and teachers involved in a coach crash in central France in which a pupil died have arrived back in Scotland.

Two teachers and 31 children, who were not badly injured in the accident on a motorway at Bierre-les-Semur, near Dijon, arrived at Glasgow Airport at 0245 BST.

Katherine Fish, 15, was killed and nine other people were seriously injured when the coach, carrying a party from Largs Academy on a school trip, overturned.

There were emotional scenes as the children were reunited with parents at the airport.

They are in a very emotional state - it's been a traumatic experience

Alasdair Herbert
North Ayrshire Council

French police are continuing their inquiries and are expected to interview the driver of the coach on Friday.

The vehicle, owned by Allan's Coaches of Gorebridge, Midlothian, was carrying 51 passengers, among them eight adults.

The pupils on the trip had been due to arrive in Barcelona on Thursday evening for a week-long cultural and leisure holiday.

As the returning children left the community centre in Semur-en-Auxois - near the accident scene - on Thursday evening, mayor Michel Neugnot shook them by the hand.

Katherine Fish was killed in the accident

He said the whole town had come together in support of the victims.

Mr Neugnot said: "All the local English teachers came to help with interpretation. Nobody asked them to, they just heard the news on the radio and came.

"There is great solidarity here. Everybody is in this together. Everybody just wants to help.

"The children were traumatised but very brave, very courageous."

Alasdair Herbert, assistant chief executive of North Ayrshire Council, said the children had had emotional reunions with their loved ones when they arrived back in Scotland.

Half-day

He said they were "tired, tearful, and relieved".

"They are in a very emotional state. It's been a traumatic experience," he said.

"They are all deeply shocked by what's happened, but they're happy to be back in this country."

The coach crashed in central France

"They are relieved to be back home and reunited with their families."

He said pupils at Largs would only attend school for a half-day on Friday, the last day of term.

The names of the injured pupils were not released, but the three teachers were named as PE teacher Alan Sturrock, 43, English teacher David Macluskey, 34, and Jeannette Gray, a 50-year-old history teacher.

Police guard

Mr Macluskey lost an arm in the accident, while Mr Sturrock suffered severe injuries to his legs and Mrs Gray suffered multiple arm fractures.

The school expects other members of the group to return home on Friday.

Coach driver Mark Chisholm, from Edinburgh, is being kept in hospital under police guard.

Though not arrested, he was under a "guarde a vu", a French procedure in which he can be held for up to 48 hours.

A teacher is pictured during the journey home

Mr Chisholm, one of two drivers on the coach, had been at the wheel for an hour when the accident happened on Thursday morning.

Police have spoken to him but have not formally questioned him, according to British officials.

Mr Chisholm told his father Bill, who is a journalist with The Scotsman newspaper, that he remembered nothing about the crash.

He is travelling to Dijon to visit his son in hospital and is due to arrive on Friday afternoon.

'Extremely shaken'

His father told the newspaper: "He will be devastated by it, he sounded devastated on the phone.

"He didn't say what had happened and I got the impression that he did not know what had happened. He didn't offer any explanation."

Consul general Jonathan Noakes said: "He was extremely shaken when we saw him but have not asked him about what happened."

Mr Chisholm's injuries are not thought to be serious.