At least eight people were killed in a bus crash on a Florida highway Tuesday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The bus collided with a pickup truck on State Route 40 in Marion County, south of Gainesville and northwest of Orlando, the Highway Patrol said.
About 40 people, including the truck driver, were taken to area hospitals after the crash, Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Riordan said at a news conference. According to Rio Dang, some of the injured were in a very serious state.
The crash involved a bus carrying approximately 53 farm workers and a 2001 Ford Ranger truck, the Highway Patrol said in a statement to CBS News.
The retired school bus was traveling west on the highway and the pickup truck was traveling east when the truck moved toward the center line around 6:35 a.m., Riordan said.
Mr Riordan said the bus and truck collided “in a skid type fashion”. The collision caused the bus to veer off the road, crash through a fence, hit a tree and overturn.
Riordan said it was not immediately clear why the truck moved toward the center line.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office announced on social media that the portion of the highway where the crash occurred will be closed for the rest of the day.
Highway patrol units are investigating the accident. Riordan said it will take investigators at least six months to conduct their investigation.
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