Isle of Man TT race: 11 spectators hurt in crash

The rider, Jonathan Howarth, escaped unhurt

(Energy FM)

A crash during the first lap of the Senior TT race has injured 11 spectators in the Isle of Man.

Race organisers said: "none of the injuries are life threatening although one person has been seriously injured".

The smash happened at 1.30pm on Bray Hill - one of the most popular vantage points for TT spectators, less than a mile into the race.

The rider, Jonathan Howarth, escaped unhurt.

Witness Stuart Plant told the BBC there was "chaos" and that he saw "flying debris," saying it looked like the bike "hit the crowd opposite at some speed".

Another witness, John Leonard said: "I saw the rider come over top of the hill and he lost the back end of the bike.

"It was fish-tailing at phenomenal speed - there was no way he was staying on the bike.

"He slid past on his belly and went all the way through the lights at the bottom of the hill into a lamppost. Amazingly he got up and walked away."

Organisers ACU Events Ltd said in a statement: "Eleven spectators have been taken to hospital with injuries ranging from slight to serious. None are believed to be life-threatening at this time.

"The police will not be carrying out a full investigation at this stage and it remains a racing incident. The police are currently assisting in clearing the scene and recovering the bike."

The race was subsequently red-flagged, and will start again at 4.30pm.