Bus hi-jacked and set alight in Northern Ireland

Bus hi-jacked and set alight in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

A double-decker bus full of passengers has reportedly been hi-jacked this evening, Sunday, November 7, and set on fire. It is believed that four men boarded the vehicle, ordered the people off, and then set it alight. This incident has occurred on Church Road, in the Newtownabbey area of County Antrim, in Northern Ireland.

Emergency services, including the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, were immediately deployed to the location, where, according to police sources, a Translink Metro Bus was burning. Firefighters tackled the blazing bus, while a helicopter was also mobilised to the scene.

A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said that Church Road has been cordoned off, with diversions put into operation. As reported by BelfastLive, the incident took place at around 7.45pm. A request has been put out for the public to avoid the area.

Posting on Twitter, Metro & Glider announced that all services are suspended “for the remainder of the evening”, but that they should be operating as normal in the morning.

Jeffrey Donaldson, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, stated, “This is senseless. Such criminal behaviour could lead to death or serious injury. This only harms local people and local communities. It serves no cause whatsoever. The ringleaders should step back. Change is brought about by politics not by burning buses”.

“@Translink_NI buses are paid for & owned by the people of Northern Ireland. Without them people can’t get to & from work, or school, or hospital appointments. Our bus drivers are working-class people who deserve to be safe in their jobs. What does this madness achieve?!”, tweeted Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, as reported by dailystar.co.uk.

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