SINGAPORE - Thirteen people were injured after a Mount Alvernia shuttle bus heading towards Bishan ploughed into a bus stop along Braddell Road on Wednesday (July 26).

Two pregnant women, aged 26 and 33, were among the casualties. They suffered leg pains and were taken to KK Women's and Children Hospital.

The driver, a man in his 50s, suffered suspected spinal injuries. It was unclear what kind of injuries the other victims suffered, although most are understood to be minor.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the accident at 12.10pm and dispatched two fire engines, four ambulances and two support vehicles.

Nine of the injured - including the driver - aged between 30 and 60 were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The remaining two, one a 43-year-old and the other in the mid-30s, were conveyed to Raffles Hospital.

There were 26 people on board the bus when the accident occurred. Thirteen were unhurt and taken to Mount Alvernia for check-ups at its 24-hour walk-in clinic, according to a hospital spokesman.

When ST arrived at the scene at around 1.30pm, the bus stop was cordoned off. The badly damaged bus had landed in the opposite direction of traffic, with debris - including the driver's door - strewn all over the pavement.

An eyewitness, who declined to be named, said the bus, which was travelling quite fast at the time of the accident, skidded before it mounted the pavement and hit the bus stop.

The bus - which is operated by Bus-Plus Services Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of SMRT - is a free regular shuttle service provided by Mount Alvernia Hospital that stops at Bishan and Novena MRT stations.

Said the company's general manager, Mr Kelvin Soon: "We are sorry that this has happened. We are doing our best to get in touch with all the injured parties to provide assistance. We are also helping the police with their investigations."

The Land Transport Authority tweeted about the accident at 1.09pm and warned motorists to avoid the left lane. The lane was reopened to traffic later in the afternoon.

Public transport operator SBS Transit said on its Twitter account at 2.48pm that four of its bus services - 93, 156, 157 and 163 - will skip the affected bus stop.

Bus services resumed at around 4.45pm, with buses stopping a bit further down from the affected area.

Police investigations are ongoing.