A MAN died and five others were injured in a horror crash involving a car and a bus.

A single decker bus operated by Damory Coaches and carrying eight passengers was in collision with a Ford Fiesta on the A357 north of Blandford, police said.

Firefighters, paramedics, the police and the air ambulance all attended the scene at Gains Cross, near Shillingstone, at 3.20pm yesterday.

The A357 was closed for several hours between Blandford and Sturminster Newton while emergency services worked at the scene and diversions were put in place.

Highway teams set up a diversion at the Sturminster bridge and redirected traffic onto the A30.

It was not clear yesterday if the man who died had been travelling on the bus or in the car.

The bus driver was airlifted to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester with suspected neck injuries and bruising.

The other four people injured in the collision were also travelling on the bus.

It is the second fatal collision to take place on the A357 this year.

In June, a 26-year-old motorcyclist from Dorchester was killed when his vehicle was in collision with a car north of Shillingstone.