THREE people, including a pregnant woman, were taken to hospital after a bus crashed into a Blackburn mosque.

The trio were treated for minor injuries after the Transdev Lancashire vehicle went through a low wall in Granville Road and collided with the Dawat-e-Islamic building.

Two men, both passengers on the bus, were treated for cuts, while the woman, a passenger in one of two cars also involved in the incident, was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Witnesses said the crash, at around 6.20pm yesterday, occurred after the bus swerved to avoid an oncoming car and hit another vehicle in the process.

The bus mounted the pavement and went through a perimeter wall, before striking a column at the side of the Islamic building, formerly Leamington Road Baptist Church.

A blue Honda Civic and a green Vauxhall Astra were damaged, while the front of the bus was crushed and several windows were smashed.

Around 100 onlookers gathered on Granville Road as police, paramedics and firefighters made the scene safe. The street was cordoned off between Lynwood Road and Leamington Road.

Samantha Paul, a 33-year-old care assistant, boarded the bus to give first aid to passengers.

She said: “I heard a bang and my daughter, Ellie, was out playing. She ran to my brother, Matthew, and he came in and told me the bus hit the mosque.

“I’m trained in first aid from my job and if you can’t use it in these circumstances, what’s the point? Everyone on the bus was calm and I just kept an eye on their cuts until the ambulances arrived.”

A spokesman for the mosque, which includes Maktaba tul Madina bookshop, said children were inside at the time, but they were in a different part of the building. PC Mike Smith said an investigation was under way into the cause of the crash.

The male driver of the 3A Sunnybower to Revidge service, which was heading towards Preston New Road, escaped unharmed.