It was meant to be the trip of a lifetime for a group of tourists who set off from London to visit Canterbury Cathedral 25 years ago today. But excitement turned to tragedy when the coach they were travelling in dramatically careered off the M2, killing 10 and injuring 34. Jodie Nesling looks back on that fateful day a quarter of a century on....

On a wet morning on November 10, 1993, a coach headed along the M2 towards Canterbury, carrying 44 tourists eager to catch a glimpse of the city’s historic Cathedral.

But tragedy would strike at 9.40am as the vehicle hit a van and careered off the slick road surface and down an embankment at Ospringe, near Faversham, landing on its side.

Nine American tourists and the driver - a last-minute replacement called Leslie Golds - were killed, while 34 others were injured.

Trapped passengers, many of them who had not been wearing seatbelts, screamed as firefighters battled to cut them from the wreckage.

Almost all the injured were taken by ambulance or helicopter to nearby hospitals.

The victims included Harry Faull, 65, a high school principal, and his wife, Carolyn, a teacher, from Michigan, who were both crushed to death.

Two sisters, Deborah Becnell, a lawyer from Louisiana, and Frances Hubbard, 52, a housewife from Houston, Texas, also died from crush injuries.

They had taken the trip with another sister and their mother, who both survived.

According to witnesses, the coach’s brakes appeared to lock after it collided with the rear of a transit van and careered down the embankment near Water Lane.

An inquest would later hear that the coach’s speed limiter had been removed, allowing the vehicle to hit 78mph as it travelled along the Kent motorway.

The anti-lock braking systems on the coach were also faulty.

A former driver of the coach, Michael Shelton, told the inquest he had been complaining of the faults to his bosses at Travellers Coach Company in the 13 months before the crash.

Executives denied knowing of Mr Shelton’s complaints, although the company’s own service manager had written to the coach manufacturer 10 months before the accident, saying that most of the firm’s 12-strong fleet had anti-lock brake system defects.

An inquest jury subsequently ruled the tourists and Mr Golds had been unlawfully killed.

But, in 1997, criminal charges were thrown out.

The devastating impact of that fateful day is still keenly felt by locals, who for many years have held an annual commemoration service.

Andrew Keel, pictured right, the chairman of Ospringe Parish Council, says the gatherings stopped after the numbers attending dwindled over the years.

But a special service will be held at the site today to mark a quarter of a century since the crash.

Mr Keel said: “The last one was more than five years ago but 25 years is an important date.

"The service will be officiated by Penny Fenton, who has overseen several events in the past.

"We have sent out invitations to the emergency services and the American embassy.”

Mr Keel was vice-chairman at the council at the time of the accident and remembers hearing about the tragedy.

He said: “It was the days before social media so we relied on local news to hear about the crash and people said to me,'Have you heard what has happened?'

“I didn’t know how many people had died at that point but guessed due to the severity of the crash that some would have lost their lives.

“The driving conditions were awful that day with very heavy rain,” he said.

• The service will take place at 11.30am, with councillors laying a wreath at the site in Abbotts Hill, where a holm oak tree was planted as a permanent memorial to the victims. Anyone who would like to pay their respects is encouraged to attend.