BILOXI, Mississippi (CBS) — A train slammed into a charter bus carrying about 50 passengers in Mississippi on Tuesday, leaving at least four dead.
CBS affiliate WLOX-TV reports the bus was stopped on the tracks when it was struck by the eastbound CSX train in Biloxi. Police Chief John Miller said it was unclear why the bus had stopped, but witnesses told WLOX-TV that the vehicle appeared to be stuck on the tracks.
City spokesman Vincent Creel said the train hit the bus at a crossing in downtown Biloxi just before 2:15p.m., pushing the bus about 300 feet down the tracks.
Officials said there were four confirmed fatalities resulting from the crash. The passengers on the bus were senior citizens traveling from Austin, Texas, to the casino in Biloxi, WLOX-TV reports.
Thirty-five passengers were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries, according to Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney. Another seven were released at the scene.
Crews were seen removing people through the emergency windows and “jaws of life” were needed to extricate two victims. All other passengers were removed from the bus within 30 minutes, Miller said.
A spokesman for CSX told The Associated Press the freight train was headed from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, at the time of the deadly crash. Gary Sease said the train had three locomotives and 52 cars. The train crew was not injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told CBS News it is monitoring the situation. The Federal Railroad Administration said three investigators were en route to the scene.
