An investigation is underway into how a bus that crashed and left 15 people injured was not taking its usual route.

The double-decker bus was travelling along Barton Lane in Eccles, Salford, at about 15:00 BST on Monday when its roof was torn off as it struck a canal bridge.

Fifteen people were taken to hospital, including one who was critically injured.

The road has since been reopened, and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said it has launched an “immediate and urgent” investigation into the circumstances of the crash, including why the 100 service bus was off-route.

Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester Vernon Everitt said: “We are working closely with the investigation team at Greater Manchester Police and the bus operator, Stagecoach.

“This is clearly a distressing situation for everyone involved and we’d like to thank emergency services for their swift response.”

The road was closed into Monday evening with diversions in place as authorities worked to move the damaged bus.

Labour MP for Worsley and Eccles Michael Wheeler said the crash was “unacceptable”.

“It’s not the first time this has happened, so after understanding what’s happened we need to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he told BBC Radio Manchester.

A bus has previously had its roof ripped off after striking the same bridge in April 2023.