SAN FRANCISCO -- A double-decker tour bus with as many as 30 people on board crashed in a busy shopping district on Friday afternoon, leaving multiple people injured.
At least 19 people were hurt, five of them critically, the San Francisco Fire Department told Mashable. Fifteen people were hospitalized. Officials later confirmed, according to multiple reports, that 20 people were injured and 16 were hospitalized.
The accident happened at a busy intersection in Union Square, right next to the construction site of a new Apple Store, just before 3 p.m. local time. Witnesses told KTVU that the bus driver lost control and swerved erratically.
#BREAKING LIVE VIDEO: NBC chopper above scene of tour bus crash in SF's Union Square. Watch: https://t.co/ZrUo3uk6cP pic.twitter.com/Fe4EFYLGFL— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) November 13, 2015
Several other vehicles were reportedly involved in the crash, as well as a pedestrian and a cyclist. Power lines in the area were down afterwards.
At least three people were trapped under the bus immediately after the crash. A fire department spokesperson told the news station that at least five cars were totaled.
Victim count now at 20: the driver of the tour bus, a cyclist & 3 others in critical condition #union square #KTVU pic.twitter.com/8dU65yzkPm— taramoriarty (@taramoriarty1) November 14, 2015
SFFD: driver of double decker tour bus started driving erratically blocks away and slammed into multiple vehicles on Post/Stockton.— Sal Castaneda (@sal_castaneda) November 14, 2015
Firefighters, police arrive at #UnionSquare pic.twitter.com/eISd7k723h— Kim Truong (@kimberlanded) November 14, 2015
Helicopters on the scene at #UnionSquare pic.twitter.com/iwglelqrx7— Kim Truong (@kimberlanded) November 13, 2015
Multiple injuries, crash involving double-decker tour bus #Union Square #KTVU pic.twitter.com/2lrOML1y9f— taramoriarty (@taramoriarty1) November 13, 2015
The current downtown San Francisco Apple Store site is two blocks away; construction began on the newer, larger flagship store this summer.