A RETIRED couple have told how they escaped with their lives from the Nevada Desert coach crash in the US.

Malcolm and Gwen Thurman were on a luxury coach holiday when the tragedy happened.

The vehicle carrying 39 British tourists from Las Vegas hurtled out of control and flipped on to its side and then skidded for 300 yards before coming to rest.

More than 20 Britons are still being treated in the US.

Mr and Mrs Thurman, both 60, of Newton Hall, Durham, survived the crash virtually unscathed.

The former civil servants were on a 15-day tour of the Western US and had been to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

They were on their way to the Mammoth Lakes when the crash happened, 30 miles west of Tonopah, last Thursday.

They scrambled from the twisted wreckage of the coach through a roof light. Last night, Mr Thurman said: "We will be haunted by the screams and the sights of the accident for a very long time.

"I saw the crash coming and grabbed the headrest of the seat in front and held on.

"The bus landed on its left side and we were on the right. Eventually, Gwen and I fell, but we just suffered bruising."

Mr Thurman described the devastation following the accident as being "like a war zone".

Mrs Thurman, who was given a precautionary scan following a bump on the head, praised passing motorists for their help.

She said: "We were a long way out in the desert, and it was a long time before ambulances arrived. But other drivers got out to give assistance."

Less seriously injured members of the party formed shields to protect fellow holidaymakers from the heat.