Gardaí in Limerick are investigating an accident this morning in which an empty 53-seater bus apparently went out of control and careered across a major road and into a river.
The bus was left running in a yard owned by a private minibus driver at Knockane, Newcastlewest, at around 7.25 a.m. when, according to gardaí, it "took off" out the gate and down the road.
Gardaí believe the bus driver left the engine running to warm it up before he started out on a school run. They are investigating the possibility he may have left the handbrake off.
One garda said the bus "took off out the gate" of the yard and down the road, before running out of control across a major junction onto the main Kerry-to-Limerick road. It then passed between two trees on the far side before falling into a river.
The fire services and gardaí attended the scene almost immediately and a crane was used to remove the bus A garda said the local patrol car had been in the vicinity at the time and that the driver was also shocked at the accident.
"It's miraculous that no one was hurt," a garda said. He believed that traffic lights on the main road approaching the major junction were red, with the result that motorists were not directly in the path of the bus when it ran across the road.
Gardaí have not ruled out the possibility that a file may be drawn up with a view to taking a prosecution.