'I thought it was a bomb': City centre brought to a standstill as four injured in head-on crash between tram and bus

As the rain poured down on Manchester city centre, crowds of people huddled behind a line of police tape. Many held out their phones as they filmed the chaotic scene before them.

A head-on crash between a tram and bus brought the heart of the city to a standstill this afternoon (Friday). Those who were in and around Piccadilly Gardens at the time of the smash recalled hearing a 'loud bang' before mayhem broke out.

“I thought it was a bomb so I started running," said Ibrahim Yousif. "Everyone was crowded round the bus and the tram.

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"People were getting off the tram. Five minutes later, the police came and started taping off the road."

Police, paramedics, firefighters and an air ambulance descended on the scene, outside Betfred at the top of Mosley Street, shortly before 2.15pm. An air ambulance was spotted landing on the grass in nearby Piccadilly Gardens.

One eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News: “There were loads of sirens and then we heard the helicopter. It looks bad - like a head on crash between the bus and the tram. Firefighters look like they are cutting the front off the bus.”

Meanwhile, workers at shops in the area said they saw a forensic tent being put up inside the cordon.

Four people were injured in the crash, including one with suspected serious injuries, according to North West Ambulance Service. Firefighters cut one person free from the Stagecoach bus.

Mosley Street, a main thoroughfare through town connecting St Peter's Square to Piccadilly Gardens, was closed in both directions. The incident caused severe disruption to public transport across the city centre, with buses and trams unable to pass through