Three inquiries get under way

The investigations: Three separate investigations were under way last night into the Bus Éireann tragedy in which five school children lost their lives.

Investigators from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the Garda Síochána and Bus Éireann were examining wreckage and the scene to determine how the almost 13-year-old bus turned on its side in the vicinity of a temporary traffic light at a road works site.

Bus Éireann local investigators were on the scene shortly after the accident occurred around 4pm yesterday. They were joined later by additional accident investigation staff from Dublin.

The vehicle involved was one of Bus Éireann's own vehicles, not one provided by a sub-contractor, a spokeswoman said.

She added that the vehicle was not fitted with seat belts as, unlike some smaller minibuses and taxis, buses of this size are not required to have them under Department of Transport regulations.

Bus Éireann has set up an incident room at its Broadstone depot to facilitate all three investigations.

Gardaí immediately declared the area a possible crime scene and launched their own investigation.

The HSA is expected to concentrate its investigation on the bus itself and its roadworthiness. While the vehicle involved was almost 13 years old, it is not considered old; it is young in comparison to the many vehicles in the schoolbus fleet.

All three investigations will look at road conditions at the time and recent weather conditions.

Gardaí said the road had recently been resurfaced and rain had fallen within an hour of the crash.

Another aspect of the investigation is expected to be the sequence of the temporary traffic lights at the road works site which gave alternating priority to traffic. The investigators will want to know which direction had been given priority at the time of the accident.

They will also want to talk to the drivers of two cars which were involved in the accident and which passed through the road works traffic lights system as the bus approached. The two car drivers and bus driver were in hospital last night.

The tachograph on the bus is also to be examined by the investigators.

Bus Éireann coaches are fitted with speed limiters which prevent them exceeding 100kph but the maximum permitted speed for such vehicles on national roads is 80kph. Roads of a lower category, however, have a lower speed limit, while temporary speed limits are frequently advised in the vicinity of road works.

Bus Éireann said its first priority was to offer sincere condolences to the bereaved and to do everything it could for the survivors. Two telephone information lines have been set up by the company on 01-7033410 and 01-7033254.