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A number of passengers needed medical treatment after the accident near the Sumidero Canyon in Chiapas, south-eastern Mexico

A group of backpackers including several Brits cheated death when their Mexican tour bus was stopped by a single bollard – as it rolled towards a terrifying 1,000m drop. They paid for a tour of the Sumidero Canyon in Chiapas, south-eastern Mexico, in July and, after walking around to take in the view, boarded their tour bus at the top of a steep drop – when it started rolling backwards.

The group say they feared they were headed for the canyon and many of them started diving off the bus headfirst to save themselves. Luckily, the bus hit a bollard and came to a stop before going over the edge.

But many of the passengers have been left traumatised by the near-death ordeal, with some suffering physical injuries and needing hospital treatment. James Gamble, 30, from Portsmouth, said: “I honestly thought I was going to die. It was hands-down the most terrifying experience of my life.

“Everyone was diving off the bus headfirst, thinking we were headed for the canyon. I just imagined the bus tilting backwards with nothing I could do.

“It was horrific. I didn’t stop shaking for an hour afterwards; people who weren’t even on the bus were crying and having panic attacks.”

James says that one passenger, Madeleine Glen, had tried to grab the handbrake as the bus was rolling, but it was already up. Several passengers were hospitalised following the terrifying incident after injuring themselves fleeing the bus.

Sophie Badelt, 22, from Switzerland, hit her head on a parked car as she dove from the moving bus and was bleeding profusely. A British nurse from another tour of the canyon helped to bandage her head while they waited for an ambulance.

Brit Hugo Evans, 20, was also injured in the ordeal and bandaged at the scene by paramedics. He said: “I dove out of the van, headfirst – that was the only option. I was in a blind panic. I thought we were going to die for sure.

“I hit my head on the floor and there was a lot of blood. I thought we were headed for the cliff. Everyone was freaking out when Sophie was screaming… She was drenched in blood. It was terrifying.”

The tour left on July 9 and cost 600 Mexican Pesos (£25.66) per person. All the passengers have since been refunded, and Sophie says that she has been compensated for her medical bills after weeks of back-and-forth.

There were three Dutch passengers – Britt van Engelen, 28, Yesol Sihn 29, and Floris van Neer, 30. Also onboard was Belgian tourist Hanne, 23, and Australian pair Garrison Hamlin, 28, and Brodie Hampson, 28.

James, a former journalist, says he stayed on the bus until it came to a halt and that he has been left shaken by the ordeal. He added: “We took some photos of the canyon at the viewpoint and were told to get back on the bus. The van was parked on a hill and I was sat near the back.

“We all piled back on the bus and, as the last people were getting on, we started rolling backwards. Maddy tried the handbrake, but it was already up and panic set in within seconds.

“Then there was an almighty crash as we hit the bollard and the five of us still on darted off the bus. The first thing we saw was Sophie lying on the floor, crying desperately for help and with blood seeping out of her head.”

The tour operator was approached for comment.

KYIV: A Russian drone struck a passenger bus in southern Ukraine early Wednesday, killing five people and wounding at least seven in the latest in a series of Russian strikes on civilian transportation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack an atrocity with no military purpose.

The strike occurred in the Nikopol district of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, near the war’s southern front line. Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration, said that all five were killed at the scene while the seven wounded were receiving medical care.

Zelensky described the vehicle as a minibus and said in an X post that the strike had “no military rationale” and that it was “just another atrocity.” He said the strike was connected to Russia’s targeting of logistics and critical infrastructure that has continued “unabated.”

Zelensky said that a passenger train was also struck in the Mykolaiv region on Wednesday, damaging a railway station and a diesel locomotive. Nearly 170 passengers on board the train were evacuated before the strike. An electric locomotive in the northwestern city of Kovel was also struck, Zelensky said.

Ukraine requests locomotives from partners

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s rail network have resulted in more than 500 locomotives being damaged or completely destroyed since the beginning of the all-out war on Feb. 24, 2022, with more than half those strikes occurring this year, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X on Tuesday.

Sybiha described such attacks as “systematic” and aimed at disrupting logistics across Ukraine. He said that Ukraine urgently needs replacements for damaged locomotives, and called on the country’s partners to assist in finding locomotives compatible with its 1,520-millimeter rail gauge and to assist in financing.

In another post on X on Wednesday, Sybiha said that Russian forces were striking passenger trains, locomotives, stations and railway routes “knowing exactly how essential they are for civilians, evacuations and Ukraine’s economy.”

“This is not collateral damage. It is a systematic hunt for people and an attempt to (paralyze) civilian life,” he wrote.

Zelensky says there is no truce on halting energy strikes

In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Zelensky pushed back against an earlier claim by US President Donald Trump that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to mutually cease attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure. Zelensky said that Ukraine was ready to enter such an agreement, if Russia stops striking Ukrainian energy facilities.

Trump said in a social media post Monday that such a truce had been reached, but didn’t offer details on the purported agreement. Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing the other of violations.

In the CBS interview, Zelensky said that the possibility of an energy truce was discussed during a recent meeting in Kyiv with Trump’s representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but that he had told them: “If the Russians are ready for an energy truce, that means there will be no attacks on energy facilities at all.”

Russia decorates ship captain who fired flares at Danish helicopter

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the captain of a Russian warship that fired two signal flares toward a Danish military helicopter on Monday, drawing ire from Denmark, has been awarded a medal for his “competent and resolute action.”

The ministry said in a statement that the Soobrazitelny corvette was on a mission in neutral waters in the Baltic Sea when its crew spotted the approaching helicopter, which failed to respond to calls made via the international communication channel.

“To prevent a provocation by the Danish helicopter, the corvette commander decided to fire two red signal flares, after which the helicopter left the area where the Russian warship was located,” the ministry said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow has no aggressive intentions toward Europe, but that if countries on the continent were to launch an attack on Russia, “it would be a completely different kind of war, and a very short one.”

Russian general killed in Ukrainian drone strike

The deputy head of the Russian armed forces’ military-political department, Lt. Gen. Apti Alaudinov, confirmed Wednesday that a decorated Russian general had been killed in the occupied Donetsk region.

Alaudinov, who didn’t provide details on the circumstances of Maj. Gen. Anton Grunis’ death, hailed the officer as “a hero” and “one of the most respected generals … a real man and officer and a great patriot.”

The confirmation of Grunis’ death came after Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, alleged on Wednesday that Grunis had been killed in occupied Donetsk by a Ukrainian drone while at a command post in the village of Kindrativka.

In July, Grunis reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his troops had captured the town of Kostiantynivka and he was later awarded the Hero of Russia medal. Ukraine has disputed that Kostiantynivka was fully taken by Russian forces.

Grunis had previously fought in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic whose bid for independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse led to years of war with Russian government forces. He also took part in Russia’s campaign in Syria.

In Ukraine, he commanded the 4th Guards Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Meanwhile, 17 other sites were damaged in Ukraine’s Kyiv region between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, according to the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, Tymur Tkachenko. Eight private homes, five vehicles, a municipal building, a hangar and a production facility were among the sites damaged, Tkachenko said on Telegram.

Zelensky said on X that the Kherson, Donetsk and Poltava regions had also come under attack.

In the northern city of Sumy, six people were injured in a Russian guided aerial bomb attack, including a 14-year-old girl, according to the head of the Sumy regional military administration Oleh Hryhorov. Two homes were destroyed and 10 others damaged in the strikes, along with damage to an educational facility, Hryhorov said, adding that two other men were hospitalized after a separate strike hit an industrial zone.

In the port city of Odesa, one person was killed in a Russian attack that sparked a fire at garages and damaged vehicles and private homes, Serhii Lysak, head of the city’s military administration, wrote on Telegram Wednesday.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. In the Belgorod region, one person was killed and four others were wounded by Ukrainian strikes over the last 24 hours, according to acting governor Alexander Shuvayev.

ONE airport express bus fare has dropped by a whopping £9 thanks to a new government scheme.

It’s great news for holidaymakers heading to a major Scottish airport, as passengers can now get a single journey for just £2 rather than £11.

The regional bus fare cap has recently come into force in Glasgow meaning prices has been significantly reduced.

Mostly it’s across public buses in the areas towns or cities – but that also applies to the Glasgow Airport Express service.

So anyone travelling to Glasgow Airport can now get there for £2.

The fare was introduced in Glasgow and the majority of West Scotland from September 7.

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The cap has been funded by Transport Scotland and applies across Glasgow, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Inverclyde.

On its website, First Bus states: “All single journeys on First Bus services across Glasgow and the surrounding areas are capped at just £2 from 7 September no matter how far you’re travelling.

“That’s £2 to get to work. £2 to meet friends. £2 to head into town. Even £2 to start your journey to the airport on the Glasgow Airport Express.”

It’s good news too as Glasgow Airport recently increased its drop-off charge up to £7 for 15 minutes.

The £2 bus fare cap is set to come into force in parts of England too from next year.

The government announced in July 2026 that single bus tickets will be capped at £2 in areas of England outside London from January 1 until December 31 2027.