(VICKSBURG, Miss.) — A Mississippi bus crash that killed seven people, including a 16-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother, occurred after a tire failure apparently caused the motor coach to run off a road and overturn, authorities said.
The crash that occurred Saturday east of Vicksburg, Mississippi, left 37 people injured, officials said.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced the preliminary findings of an investigation into the crash early Saturday near Vicksburg.
“The NTSB, in coordination with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, is sending a go-team to conduct a safety investigation into Saturday’s crash involving a motor coach roadway departure and roll-over after experiencing a tire failure while on Interstate 20 near Vicksburg, Mississippi,” the NTSB said in a statement posted on X.
Six people were pronounced dead at the scene and one person died at Merit Heath Hospital in Vicksburg, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The co-driver was not transported to a hospital, authorities said.
Warren County Coroner Doug L. Huskey told ABC News on Sunday that all of the people killed in the incident were from Mexico, including the 16-year-old girl and her 6-year-old brother.
Huskey said those who perished in the crash have been identified and that the Mississippi Highway Patrol is expected to release the names of the deceased on Sunday afternoon.
The 2018 Volvo commercial passenger bus was driving westbound on Interstate 20 when it drove off the road Saturday just before 1 a.m. local time.
In addition to the teenager and her brother, three men and two women were killed in the crash, Huskey told ABC News.
The crash is being investigated by the MHP and the Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
