A MAN and woman are seriously ill in hospital after being struck by a bus on a busy shopping street in Glasgow city centre.
 

The casualties, who are believed to be in their seventies, were struck by a bus at the junction of Queen Street and Argyle Street in Glasgow city centre around 2.35pm on Friday.

Emergency services attended and the man and woman were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where they are receiving treatment. 

Hospital staff describe their condition as critical.

The bus driver was uninjured but extremely shaken as a result of the incident.

Extensive police enquiries are ongoing into the cause of the crash.

Sergeant Andrew Mair from the Road Policing Department at Helen Street said: "When the crash happened is an extremely busy shopping area, and I would appeal to any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to contact us by calling 101, the non-emergency number for Police Scotland.”

A section of Queen Street and Argyle Street was cordoned off by the emergency services after the two people had to be freed by fire crews from under the bus.
Both casualties were taken to Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary shortly after 3.10pm after being loaded into an ambulance by emergency services.
Eyewitnesses described “horrific” and “hysterical” scenes in the aftermath. The road was closed off and an investigation got underway at the scene of the incident.
Eyewitness Jan Watson said: “We were coming out from Primark and we saw the bus coming along and going round the corner.
“It just stopped dead. We approached the crossing and people were coming round and we just followed the people. We saw a woman trapped underneath the wheel.”
Jordan Macrae, 18, said: “It was horrible. There was screaming. Everyone was on their phone trying to call the emergency services.”
“Everyone was crowding round, trying to see if they could help. The people that went and helped were really good.”
A police collision investigation unit arrived on the scene shortly after the ambulance had left the scene.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it had up to 25 firefighters on the scene who used airbags to release two people from underneath the bus.
A spokesman said: “Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews attended an incident in Queen Street in Glasgow city centre following a call from ambulance control around 2.35pm.
“Four appliances from Calton and Cowcaddens community fire stations attended the incident along with a heavy rescue vehicle from Easterhouse.
“The firefighters, who were working closely with paramedics and doctors, used airbags to release two people from beneath a bus.
“Both casualties were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary by ambulance.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said they had “a number of ambulance crews” on the location as well as a special operations team and a trauma team.
At the scene, the front half of one bus was partitioned off with a green fabric screen.
A spokeswoman for bus operator First Glasgow said: “We can confirm an incident occurred this afternoon involving a First Glasgow service and two pedestrians.
“We are doing everything we can to support the emergency services and a full investigation to establish exactly what happened is under way.”
Metal hoardings were still up at the scene of the accident after 7pm last night.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter: “Very concerned to hear about the bus accident in Glasgow city centre. My thoughts are with those involved.”