Florida bus carrying farm worker crashes, killing at least 8 and injuring dozens more: officials
A bus carrying about 53 farmworkers crashed in Florida on Tuesday morning, leaving eight dead and 40 others injured, according to authorities.
A bus carrying farmworkers was involved in a crash in Florida on Tuesday morning, leaving at least eight people dead and 40 others hospitalized, authorities said.
The 2010 International Bus was carrying around 53 workers when the vehicle collided with a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup truck in "a sideswiped manner" on West State Road 40 in Marion County, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the two vehicles to collide.
After the collision, the bus careened off the road and plowed through a fence before overturning.
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Of the approximately 40 others hospitalized, eight people were critically injured. The driver of the pickup was also hospitalized with serious injuries, officials said.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods confirmed during a news conference that the bus was carrying migrant workers, which he said was common in the agricultural county.
The bus was taking the workers to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon when the fatal crash occurred, officials said.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said West Highway 40 was closed due to a "severe accident with fatalities," and advised drivers to take an alternate route.
The FHP is investigating.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.