A SCHOOLGIRL has told of the moment she was turned away from a packed school coach before it crashed – leaving one child dead and scores hurt.

Lucky Emily Manning, 10, climbed on board the second of two 70-seaters after an end of term trip to the zoo but was told to get off because it was already full.

She got on the first coach instead and arrived home safely while the second coach veered off the road, flipped onto its roof and careered down a 20ft embankment.

She said: “It had been a really nice day at the zoo. I wanted to go on the second coach because that’s where my friends were but there were too many people so I got off.

“Everybody was in front of me and that meant I couldn’t. I was upset because my friends were on that bus but also lucky.”

Her dad Nick Manning, 48, a window cleaner from Minehead, said: “I just feel incredibly grateful that she wasn’t on it. I got a phone call when I was still at work asking me if I had picked up Emily yet because something terrible had happened.

“It’s every parent’s nightmare, it’s absolutely awful. I had constant messages and phone calls checking Emily was ok. People were panicking.”

The pupils on board, from Minehead Middle School, were returning from Exmoor Zoo when tragedy struck on the A396 near Wheddon Cross in Somerset.

A child died in the crash whilst dozens more were hurt.

An off-duty firefighter raced to pull injured kids from the wreckage.

The hero was driving behind the 70-seater carrying the nine and 10-year-olds when it crashed.

He pulled over and ran down to the crash site as smoke billowed from the wreckage before forcing his way inside to begin rescuing children one by one.

His heroics emerged as parents and pupils arrived at the school to lay flowers.

Six other schools in the area closed their gates in a sign of respect as the local community reeled from the tragedy.

One parent told how his stepdaughter lost her fingers in the crash.

Seven pupils were trapped inside the coach after it overturned before being freed by firefighters who raced to the scene amid a major incident.

A fleet of 20 ambulances and three air ambulances were also scrambled as fresh details of the rescue operation emerged.

A teacher at the school wrote on Facebook: “My amazing students, I couldn’t be prouder of you all and how incredibly brave you’ve been.

“You looked after each other in what was a life-changing event, we will get through this together. I feel so lucky to be your teacher.”

Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said: “It’s a very difficult road, very steep, very windy, and it’s just the nature of rural roads in my constituency.

“I’m just deeply grateful to our emergency services and just heartbroken for the parents and the school and the wider family.”

Cindy Fouracre, whose two grandchildren attend Minehead Middle School, told BBC Radio Somerset: “Your heart goes out to all the families, the coach driver, everybody, because you just don’t expect things like this to happen, do you?

“They go out for a lovely day with the school, they’re excited and then this is how it happens at the end of the day.”

Beacon Education Multi-Academy Trust, which runs Minehead Middle School, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and all those affected by this terrible accident.

“Our entire school community are devastated by this news, and we will do everything we can to support everyone affected.”