Bus Driver Arrested After Double-Decker Collides Aqueduct Manchester Injuring 20

A double-decker bus crashed into the Bridgewater Canal Aqueduct on Barton Lane in Eccles, Greater Manchester, seriously injuring 20 people and tearing off the top deck of the vehicle. Among the injured, a 19-year-old woman and two men, aged in their 20s and 40s, remain hospitalized in stable condition, while 17 others received treatment at the scene for less severe injuries. One passenger was ejected from the top deck during the collision. Emergency services declared a major incident and dispatched multiple ambulances, advanced paramedics, the Hazard Area Response Team, and the North West Air Ambulance. The bus driver, a man in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving but has since been bailed pending further investigation. Police believe the bus was off its expected route and failed to comply with height restriction warnings, including hanging chains and signage, and have appealed for witnesses or footage to aid their investigation.