Children injured when a school bus crashed into a railway bridge – nearly shearing off its roof – have returned home with their parents.

Seventeen people, most of them children, suffered cuts, bruises and shock in the accident in Lancaster Road, Leicester, this morning.

The pupils from Cantrell Primary School in Bulwell, Nottingham, were on their way to New Walk Museum in Leicester on a school trip when the crash happened.

More than 50 people were on the bus including the driver and teachers.

Ten of the 17 injured were understood to have been treated at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The other children, and teachers, boarded another bus to return to Nottingham.

They had been taken to student accommodation at nearby Opal Court, in Lancaster Road before being taken home.

Emergency crews managed to free the bus by 2pm.

Ralph Surman, the school's acting head teacher, said: "This news is terrible and our thoughts are with the children, teachers and parents of the injured.

"The emergency services have been outstanding and close contact is being kept with all the families involved."

Outside the school, a mother of a girl involved in the crash said: "The first I heard about it was when the school phoned up this morning.

"My daughter is very shaken but she seems to be fine, which is a big relief."

Just before the crash, the bus was in Tigers Way and turned right into Lancaster Road when it hit the overhead mainline railway bridge.

A taxi driver who was following the bus said when he saw it go to turn right he sounded his horn to attract the driver's attention, but the bus carried on and hit the bridge.

Two fire engines attended and police closed Tigers Way towards the rugby stadium between Regent Road and the bridge.

A construction worker told how he pulled the bus driver from the scene. Craig Howard, 31, from New Parks, Leicester, ran into the wreckage with police officers.

He said: "When I got on the bus I saw the driver shaking and crying. I helped the police carry him off. He looked really young. I wasn't feeling anything at the time – I just saw the crash and wanted to get the kids off. Now it's over I'm quite shaken, but relieved."

Craig had been working yards away at the nearby Lancaster Road fire station – which was being used by emergency services as a makeshift medical base.

Police said they hoped to be able to to reopen the road to some degree of normality in due course, but a structural examination needed to be carried out before moving the bus.

An investigation has begun by police road traffic unit.

Officers said the driver was spoken with but had not been arrested.

Rail workers wearing fluorescent jackets were on the track waving flags, warning trains to slow down. Engineers from Network Rail are on the scene.

David Mellen, Nottingham City Council portfolio holder for education, said: "My feelings go out to those children and their parents.

"Getting children reunited with their parents is a priority.

"Additional staff have been sent into the school to help parents and other children who have been affected by this.

"There will be questions asked once the dust has settled on what's happening now."