A bus carrying farm workers in Florida crashed Tuesday, reportedly leaving eight people dead and 45 injured, officials said.
There were “approximately 53 farm workers” on board the bus when a 2001 Ford Ranger and the bus sideswiped one another, CNN reported, citing the Florida Highway Patrol.
The bus reportedly went off the road and through a fence before overturning. The incident occurred at approximately 6:35 a.m., according to the outlet. (RELATED: 11 Dead, Mostly Students, In Post-Graduation Bus Crash In Indonesia).
Eight people reportedly died at the scene, while 45 people were injured and taken to local medical facilities, according to James Lucas, a member of Marion County Fire Rescue. Eight of those injured are in critical condition, he told CNN.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office clarified on Facebook that the accident did not involve a bus from the Marion County Public Schools. The district sent a bus to the scene to assist in transporting victims to receive medical attention, a district spokesperson told WFLA8.
West Highway 40 remains closed and “will be for most of the day,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. They advised residents to take alternative routes.
In March, a bus carrying 44 preschoolers and 11 adults collided with a cement truck in Texas, leaving two people dead, KXAN News reported.
One child and one adult died in the incident, the Austin-Travis County EMS said on X. The adult killed was a man in a car that was traveling behind the bus, KXAN reported, citing the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The bus was returning from a field trip to a local school when a truck reportedly swerved into the bus’s lane, the outlet noted.
