School party in Alps coach crash

The front of the coach was destroyed in the accident

Three people were injured, one seriously, when a coach carrying Shropshire schoolchildren from a skiing holiday crashed in the French Alps.

The group leader, from Kingsland Grange School, has severe head injuries.

The Gendarmerie Nationale in Grenoble said the coach, carrying about 45 Britons, slid off an icy road.

A spokesman said it happened when the tourist party was travelling from La Grave, in the Isere region of south-east France, to Grenoble airport.

'Very lucky'

It is thought the vehicle hit rocks after skidding near the town of Mizoen.

The group of pupils, parents and teachers from Kingsland Grange Preparatory School in Shrewsbury were returning home from a skiing holiday.

There were 22 pupils plus 19 adults including parents, on the annual skiing trip.

The children, aged between 9 and 13, all escaped with nothing more than minor bumps and bruises, but the leader was seriously injured when he was thrown through the front windscreen.

They were travelling with SkiPlan, a Brighton-based tour operator which specialises in skiing.

Patricia Couchman, the company's director, said in addition to the man who was seriously injured, "two other adults were treated in hospital for suspected injuries but have been cleared by the hospital".

"All other party members were fit to travel home," she added.

The rest of the party returned to Manchester Airport on Friday afternoon.