WITNESSES have described how a fatal car crash sounded like a "bomb" was going off.

Police officers were called shortly after 12.50am after a white Nissan Qashqai had crashed into The Spinnaker Public House in Hythe Quay, Colchester.

Kirsty Milligan, 28, was in the pub on Saturday night and was seated exactly where the car ploughed through the wall.

She said her friends described the sound to be “like a bomb was going off ”.

She said: “Luckily we left 20 minutes before it happened to drop a friend home, and then on the way back saw this right where we had sat.

“We spoke to some of the people who were inside as we had got chatting earlier on in the evening, my friend’s mate and his mate had to go hospital.

“My partner said to me it’s like a Final Destination film - we managed to skip death.”

Other witnesses at the scene said they saw at least seven ambulances and an air ambulance at the pub on the night.

Following the crash, Hythe Quay was closed for around seven hours and was reopened at around 9am the same morning.

Tragically, a 36 year-old man died at the scene.

A 34 year-old man has been taken to hospital with life changing injures and two others, a 34 yearold woman and a 33 year-old man, were also taken to hospital with minor injuries.

A 40 year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, causing Grievous Bodily Harm with intent, death by dangerous driving and assault.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “We would like to speak to any who saw a white Nissan Qashqai in the local area before the incident took place and anyone who was in the pub at the time and has yet to speak to officers.”

Call 101 quoting incident 63 of November 3 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.