A total of 17 people have been injured after a bus mounted the pavement near Victoria Station in central London.
The collision happened on Victoria Street at around 8.20am on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said.
Two people were treated at the scene while 15 others, including the driver of the route 24 bus, were taken to hospital.
There are no reports of life-threatening injuries and no arrests have been made.
Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, who leads policing in the area, said: “We understand this incident will have been very distressing to all those involved and injured and we have begun an investigation.
“We are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to please contact us. We welcome any dashcam or mobile phone footage.
“We are working closely with our partners to clear the scene but the road will remain closed for the next few hours so please seek alternative routes.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.20am today to reports of a road traffic collision on Victoria Street, Westminster.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, a paramedic in a fast response car, a clinical team manager, an incident response officer, a command support vehicle and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.
“We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.
“We treated 17 people in total. We took 15 patients to hospital and discharged two patients at the scene.”
Pictures from the scene show multiple emergency vehicles including police cars, ambulances and a fire engine in attendance, while London’s Air Ambulance landed nearby.
The front of the bus was damaged, with its windscreen smashed.
A trail of diesel running down Allington Street forced police to ban smoking in the area.
Emit Suker, 47, told the PA news agency: “It (the bus) was coming from Westminster – it was going really fast and came off the road.
“There were about 15, 16 people inside the bus. People were screaming – it was terrible.”
Another eyewitness said: “I heard a massive crash, came outside and there was a woman on the floor with loads of people around her.
“Lots of people from the gym had run out to help her.”
Rosie Trew, Transport for London’s head of bus service delivery, said: “Our thoughts are with the people who have been injured following a bus incident at Victoria Street.
“We are working with the police and the operator, Transport UK, to urgently investigate this incident.
“This must have been a distressing incident for everyone involved and we have support available for anyone affected.”
Two pedestrians have been killed in bus crashes in Victoria in recent years.
Catherine Finnegan, 56, from County Galway, Ireland, died after she was hit by a double-decker at Victoria bus station in January 2023.
In August 2021, Melissa Burr, 32, from Rainham, Kent, was killed at the station after bus driver Olusofa Popoola accidentally accelerated into the back of a stationary bus, shunting it into her.
Victoria bus station was closed in late 2023 for works designed to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility for partially sighted passengers.
