The children were travelling from Essex to Cologne in Germany when their coachcrashed just before 10am local time near the coastal town of Middelkerke.

Distressing photos showed the coach on its side after the driver reportedly lost control and hit a bridge pillar.

Private Brentwood School in Essex, whose ex-pupils include Frank Lampard and Noel Edmonds, said its pupils aged around 10 to 13 walked away from the crash.

But two were seriously injured, one of whom - a 13-year-old boy - is in intensive care with a bleed to the brain. His parents drove to Belgium after hearing the news.

The coach was operated by Richmond Coaches, based near Lisburn, Northern Ireland, which has described the crash as an 'awful tragedy'.

One of the two drivers, a Northern Ireland resident, has been killed and the driver's assistant has been seriously injured