Pupils wept today for a schoolboy killed when his bike collided with a bus.

Michael Bucktrout, 11, was cycling with a friend when the accident with the single-decker happened in Towngate, Wyke, last night.

Many pupils were in tears when the news was broken to them today at a special assembly at Michael's school, Wyke Middle. Headmistress Janice Dyson said staff and children were devastated. Michael's mother, Deborah Scully, was too upset to talk and was being comforted by relatives at home in Long Close, Delph Hill, Bradford.

Michael's 12-year-old friend also suffered injuries in the accident, which were described as not serious.

Mrs Dyson said: "Michael was a very well-thought of boy. It's a very close-knit family and a lot of children have connections with him. Some had been friends with him since they were five.

"He was a very happy-go-lucky boy. He really had some presence in school, which makes it all the harder for the children to take. Michael was a boy who liked to be in the outdoors. He was very energetic."

It is the second trauma suffered by Michael's family in recent months. His older brother Carl, a pupil at Wyke Manor Upper, received serious head injuries when he was involved in a motorbike accident while riding in woods near his home last summer. "The family have had an awful lot to deal with. I believe Carl is still recovering," said Mrs Dyson. Michael's other brother, Dean, is paraplegic and suffers cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus.

Michael attended a youth club at the Green Lane Centre in Wyke and also had a paper round with the Londis shop in Hall Ing, Delph Hill. Owner Omar Maisuria said today: "He was a nice lad. He was brilliant."

The driver of the 625 bus to Brighouse has been interviewed and a First Bradford spokesman said the company had already launched its own investigation.

"We can't make any further comment other than to offer our sympathies to the friends and family," he added.

Sergeant Keith Cluderay, of Odsal police, said today: "There's no suggestion of any problems regarding the bus or the driver.

"It looks like the boys were riding along, talking to one another - one of those unfortunate cases where perhaps the cyclist has not been paying the necessary attention."

Abdul Majid, of the Khyber House take-away in Towngate, said the bike was still underneath the wheels of the bus when he went to the scene of the accident at around 8.15pm.

He said: "There were about 20 people standing round and the bike was still under the bus."

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