Prayers for Coach Crash Victims

|TOP|Prayers have been said following a tragic coach accident in Germany involving British school children which left two dead. Tragic news of a third death from the accident was released Monday.

One pupil, Stuart Dines from Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham, Suffolk, died on one of the coaches caught up in the accident in which a lorry collided with one coach full of the school children as it stood stationery on the hard shoulder before both were crashed into at full speed by the second coach carrying more pupils from Norwich School in Norfolk.

The assistant driver, also from Britain, and who was on board the second bus, also died in the accident which took place on the A4 near Cologne in Germany. The secretary of Norwich School, secretary Jane Irving, 53 died yesterday as a result of the injuries she sustained from the crash.

The head teacher of Thomas Mills High School, Colin Hirst, commented on the tragedy: “Framlingham is a close-knit community and we have taken it hard."

|QUOTE|Prayers were said at the service in St Michael's Church, Framlingham, on Sunday for the survivors and the two who died.

Mr Hirst said: "We said prayers for Stuart and his family, for the school and for the pupils and the teachers.

"We prayed for everyone involved in this tragic accident,” said Mr Hirst. He added: “Our job now is to be here for people if they need us."

Pupils of the two schools, which were on separate half-term ski trips to Austria, were reunited with their parents shortly after 0100GMT on Sunday.

Six staff and 55 pupils between the ages of 12 and 16 were on board the Thomas Mills High School coach, operated by GT International, when the vehicles collided at around 0220GMT on Saturday, while the second coach, owned by Ambassador Travel, was carrying 36 pupils and five staff.

Fourteen-year-old Stuart from Woodbridge was described by his head teacher as a “lovely, lovely student”.

Mr Hirst said Stuart had been "a very active and popular member of the school... not just with pupils but with staff".