THE family of the driver behind the horror double-decker bus crash in Stockholm which killed three people have broken their silence.
Another three were injured in the collision on Friday before the driver was arrested on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter, Swedish police said.
The terrifying ordeal unfolded on Valhallavägen street near the Royal Institute of Technology university in the Swedish capital, with witnesses claiming the man behind the wheel “didn’t try to brake”.
The driver’s son said his family were “completely shocked” by what had happened.
He said: “He’s been a bus driver for a long time and there’s never been any problems.
Meanwhile his ex-wife said: “The only thing I can think is that he had a heart attack or something.
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“Something with his health. He has never been involved in any accidents and was a super good driver.”
Cops are not treating the crash as a targeted attack, saying there was “currently no indication that the incident was intentional”.
Authorities said the bus was inactive at the time of the smash and confirmed that the driver was on break.
There were also no passengers inside the vehicle when it rammed into the bus shelter.
Detailing the crash, a witness said: “We see the bus driving at a fairly high speed.
“It plows down the bus shelter and you can hear the glass breaking, there is glass everywhere.
“The bus didn’t try to brake, it drives into a tree or a lamppost.
Chilling images show the aftermath of the suspected accident – with the huge coach’s front wedged into a tall metal pole.
Emergency services were also seen trying to rescue victims trapped underneath the wreckage.
Dramatic footage also showed a wave of emergency vehicles swarming the scene of the crash.
Police have quizzed the suspect as they try to identify the victims of the shocking collision.
Tributes have poured in for victims of the tragedy, with Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson saying his thoughts were with the victims and their families.
He said: “People who might have been on their way home to familyfriends, or a quiet evening at home.
“We do not yet know the cause, but right now my thoughts are primarily with those affected and their loved ones.”
A witness told SVT about the bus hit a pole in front of the bus shelter. They said several people ran into the shop crying.
A woman told the local Expressen newspaper that the bus “mowed down an entire bus stop queue”.
She said people were screaming and trying to help the injured, while dead people lay on the ground.
“There must have been more people under the bus,” she said.
Hero student nurse Zaid Al Hussen, 20, described how he sprinted towards the carnage in the city centre to help the wounded.
“It felt like a movie. It was surreal,” he told The evening paper.
Zaid had been studying nearby when he saw the bus veer off the road and slam into people waiting at the stop.
Panic erupted around him as victims lay on the ground.
He said: “It was terrible. I just heard a lot of screaming and people crying. People were lying on the ground.
“They had no idea what to do, they were panicking.”
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The Swedish prime minister hailed Zaid for his brave actions, saying on social media: “Zaid – what a hero.”