CHRISTMAS shoppers have told how they watched in horror as Glasgow's winter wonderland descended in chaos following the bin lorry tragedy in George Square.

Eye witnesses described hearing loud bangs and screams as several pedestrians were hit by the out-of-control lorry, before seeing bodies lying on the ground covered in blood.

Passers-by tried to help those who were injured, including performing CPR, while others called the emergency services who were on the scene in minutes.

Some reports suggested a young child was hit by the lorry, while others described seeing "blood everywhere" and Christmas shopping strewn across the road.

Melanie Fraser-Greig, 47, of Falkirk, who was in Glasgow for Christmas shopping, said: "[The driver] went along the pavement, knocking everybody down like pinballs.

"The noises of the banging, crashing and screaming were horrific. The place was like a bomb site. I wasn't in danger but I was just a few yards in front of it.

"There was a baby in a buggy hit, I'm sure I saw a buggy being hit.

"There were at least five people hit that I could see, but there were more than that lying on the ground.

"There were people trying to do resuscitation and everything, just passers by. It was typical Glasgow spirit, everybody trying to get in there and help."

She said the accident brought back memories of the Clutha helicopter tragedy in which 10 people died just a few streets away.

"It's so sad, it's just a year after the Clutha happened and for this to happen now too is horrific," she added.

Journalist Findlay Mair, 23, was also in the square when the tragedy struck and said the scene quickly descended into chaos.

He said: "Some people were running towards the scene, others were just standing stock still, in shock.

"I saw one girl who had been hit, lying on the ground. She got up, and blood was pouring from her mouth, then she went down again.

"She was young, of student age. She just screamed, and screamed, and then fell down again. She had terrible injuries."

He added: "There was Christmas shopping littered everywhere, among the bodies and bits of the vehicle. And there was blood everywhere.

"It was difficult to take in. One minute the square was a typical Christmas scene, with people enjoying their Christmas shopping and the next moment it was just carnage."

Student Lewis Irvine, 17, added: "The lorry went swerving along the road and it went up on to the pavement and went into a load of people. It must have hit at least half a dozen people. Then it went into the Millennium Hotel.

"I could see the driver at the wheel. It looked like he was having a fit or something. There were bodies lying on the ground. It was awful."

The square was completely cordoned off by police in the aftermath of the incident, with the city centre ground to a halt on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

James Murphy, 26, of Glasgow, was driving his bus into George Square shortly after the incident happened.

He said: "Me and other drivers were stopped by the police and they told us there had been an incident but we weren't told how bad it had been.

"Then we saw all the flashing lights, ambulances, police cars and a helicopter and we knew it was bad.

"I could see a woman lying on the ground at the side of the road receiving CPR, she was really pale and unresponsive and then after a while they covered her up.

"It was really horrible, the mood just changed at that point, everyone was really quiet.

"After a while, we saw quite a lot of people being escorted in by the police, it looked like it might be family of the people involved.

"There were also more official looking people being taken into the square, it looked like maybe scenes of crime or crash investigators or something like that.

"The whole thing is just so sad, especially this close to Christmas."

At the city's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), where the incident began, people who witnessed it were believed to be being treated for shock.

Several people were lying down on the front steps of the gallery receiving medical attention.

One GOMA worker, who did not want to be named, said: "We just heard a massive bang and people screaming and we thought at first that it was a gun shot or that it might be a terrorist attack.

"We came running downstairs to see if everyone was okay or if anyone needed help, but we didn't know exactly what had happened.

"One of the girls who works in the shop saw it happen and came back in to let us know. She was really shaken up, traumatised by what she saw, and she had to go home.

"I just can't believe this has happened right on our doorstep, it's really shocking."

Another worker added: "There were people being treated on the steps of the gallery, but I think that was for shock because they walked over and then lay down.

"Some people who were with them said they had seen body parts lying in the street, that's why there are people fainting, it's absolutely horrific."