RELAXED and happy in the warm sunshine, these York pilgrims are pictured here enjoying a visit to historic ruins during a pilgrimage to Jordan.

But within days the group was plunged into a terrifying nightmare when their tour bus crashed, killing nine of them, along with two Jordanians and an Egyptian.

Hilda Brisby, 80, and Margaret Haslam, 70, both from Heworth, and Owen Dale, 66, and his wife, Jean, 63, (pictured top right) from Dunnington, died when the coach collided with a truck.

Nine pilgrims were injured. Seven have returned home, including Pat Brown, 66, pictured here wearing sunglasses in the front row next to her husband, Roger.

Recovering at her home in Dunnington after being flown back from Amman, Mrs Brown spoke today of the terrifying moment the coach careered towards the lorry and also praised the generosity of King Abdullah of Jordan, who has paid all the group's medical expenses.

Mr Brown, 67, suffered terrible injuries including a broken collar-bone, a head injury needing more than 30 stitches, and severe damage to his arm and hand which may require plastic surgery. He is now being treated in York Hospital.

Mrs Brown, who has a black eye and suffered extensive bruising to the base of her spine, said one of the coach's back tyres was changed just minutes before a front one burst, causing the vehicle to swerve into the path of the truck.

"All I remember is the coach driver wrestling with the steering wheel," she said.

"People were screaming as the coach veered towards the central reservation. The next thing I know I was outside lying on the road. My husband and I were sitting halfway back, which is probably what saved us."

Mrs Brown, a worshipper at Melbourne Terrace Methodist Church, said the coach had no seat belts and revealed she was sitting directly behind Mrs Haslam when the tyre burst.

"A passing motorist must have pulled me out of the coach," she said.

"King Abdullah sent his own helicopter to pick up the injured and all the time we were in hospital we were treated as his guests and had our medical bills paid for."

Mrs Brown said their strong faith had helped them to cope with the ordeal. "The pilgrimage was wonderful. It's just tragic that it ended that way," she said. "My husband and I would definitely go back."

The Methodist Church said just two pilgrims, the Reverend Graham Haslam from Heworth, and Jean Keith, were still in hospital in Amman, but it was hoped they might be able to return to Britain by the end of the week.

A spokesman for Pilgrim Travel, which organised the trip, said: "We can't make any comment until we see the outcome of the formal investigation."

Updated: 10:20 Tuesday, November 09, 2004