Reporters from The Royal Gazette were on Front Street within minutes of the horses ploughing into the crowd at the flagpole. Here’s what witnesses told us:

Dee Charles, who owns Shilo Ranch with her husband Hobby, said the bolting horses belonged to Ray Bean, from Dockyard, and that in the chaos he was dragged down the street behind them. “One of my drivers was down there and said the carriage belonged to Ray,” said Mrs Charles. “Someone said one of the pom poms (plumes) on the bridle smacked into one of the horses’ faces and it took off. Ray was just adjusting the plumes on the horse’s head and got dragged by the horses. They hit my carriage and broke a wheel, and Ray was pinned between the two carriages.”

She added: “We’ve been doing Harbour Nights for 12 years and never had a problem but the horses have to be used to it as there’s a lot of people and a lot of noises. I’m upset at what’s happened.”

Clearwater Middle School principal Carlos Symonds was there with some of his students. He said: “People were screaming. It was surreal. The Gombeys were in the middle here and the crowd was surrounding the Gombeys so they couldn’t hear the violent clacking coming down the street. The horse just ran right through the people. It was bloody. I saw at least eight people lying on the ground, maybe even 12.”

Molly Gallaher, from Cohasset, Massachusetts, said she witnessed the beginning of the melee near the birdcage. She was most concerned about the carriage driver who she described as aged between 50 and 55. She said: “The two wheels went over him and then he got up and chased them down.” Molly’s mother Linda said: “We saw it. We were looking right at it. Even after he got trampled, he got up and ran. He was frantically running.”

Governor Sir John Vereker was visiting Harbour Nights with his wife and two friends. They arrived shortly after the horses galloped through the crowd and could see the injured being loaded into ambulances. Sir John said: “All I did was ensure somebody was in charge. There was very little I could do. I’m deeply sorry it happened on the first Harbour Nights. It’s just a very very tragic incident.”

Peggy Dawson had her vendor table set up about halfway between the birdcage and the flagpole. She was well positioned to witness the chaos unfold. Ms Dawson said: “It was terrifying to watch, you just feel so helpless. It crossed my mind to go out there and try and stop them. I ride so I know horses. But just as quickly, I thought: they’re not going to stop for me. It was just horrendous. I’m shaking just thinking about it.”

David Henderson, 19, emerged stone faced from the Chamber of Commerce office building where investigators were interviewing witnesses. He recounted his version of the event: “All of a sudden I heard somebody scream at the top of their lungs: ‘Get out of the way!’. I was about ten feet away.

“I saw two horses, no man in the carriage, running at full gallop. I basically just watched as the horses ran right it to the crowd. Awful.

“People just got tossed to the side or ran right over. Three people were unconscious, one person was just standing there with head injuries and a neck injury.”