TWO people have died after a lorry and a coach carrying 49 passengers collided on the M11 near Stansted Airport in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The incident happened on the southbound carriageway between junctions 8-9 at 2.30am.

The driver of the lorry and a passenger on the coach have died.

Three coach passengers were admitted to hospital and treated for back injuries. Other passengers were taken to hospital as a precaution and have been released.

A company coach took passengers to their homes or other destinations.

When fire crews arrived at the scene they found a lorry was on its side down an embankment with the driver trapped and the coach was upright on the hard shoulder of the motorway with severe damage to its side and rear.

One person - an elderly woman - was trapped on the coach.

Four people were immediately taken to hospital by Ambulance with others carrying cuts and bruises and other minor injuries or shock later transferred to the nearby Princess Alexander Hospital by bus, both for treatment and to be checked over.

As a result of the incident the motorway was closed between junction 9 at Gt Chesterford and junction 8 at Birchanger (Stansted Airport) on the southbound (London) carriageway.

Any witnesses to the coach crash should contact Essex Police on 0300 333 4444.