London bus crashes into shop causing several casualties on Lavender Hill

A double-decker bus crashed into a kitchen shop on a busy London street during the commuter rush, causing several casualties and leaving passengers trapped on the top deck.

Images of the crash on Lavender Hill, Battersea, just down the road from Clapham Junction station, surfaced on social media shortly after it happened. The bus, a number 77, smashed into the frontage of Poggen Pohl Kitchen Design Centre, destroying it.

Local resident Brendan Pfahlert told the BBC the crash "sounded like a large amount of glass being dropped".

London Ambulance Service said it sent "a number of ambulance crews" to the scene. That included a specialist ambulance unit called HART, which provides "life saving medical care in hazardous environments including complex extractions and multiple casualty incidents". An air ambulance was also dispatched.

The ambulance service said it had treated six patients after the crash. The bus driver was taken to a south London hospital and two women stuck on the upper deck were rescued by the London Fire Brigade, which was at the scene. Both were conscious and breathing.

"Bus crash on Lavender Hill looked awful," tweeted Matthew Corner, a witness. "Hoping no one is badly hurt. Emergency services doing an excellent job."

Transport for London tweeted: "A3036 Lavender Hill / Latchmere Road - Road is blocked both ways (collision). Use an alternative route. Traffic flowing well on diversion."

Maude C Grant tweeted a video of the scene.

Twitter user BrendanTheP shared pictures of the crash aftermath, including one showing emergency services rescuing people from the top of the bus. "They have one off," he tweeted. "She appeared in good spirits with minor injuries."

London Fire Brigade shared a location map of the incident.