At least eight people were killed in a bus crash on a Florida highway Tuesday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said. According to the Highway Patrol, the bus collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 in Marion County, which is south of Gainesville and northwest of Orlando.
About 40 people, including the truck driver, were taken to hospitals in the crash in suburban Dunnellon, Florida, Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Riordan said during a news conference. Riordan said some of the injured were in critical condition.
A bus carrying about 53 farm workers and a 2001 Ford Ranger truck crashed, the Highway Patrol said in a statement to CBS News.
Riordan said the retired school bus was westbound on the highway and the pickup truck was eastbound when the truck veered into the center line around 6:35 a.m.
The bus and truck collided “in a side-on type manner,” Riordan said. Due to the collision, the bus veered off the road, went through a fence and hit a tree and overturned.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the truck drifted toward the center line, Riordan said.
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More than 30 ambulances responded to the crash scene, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told reporters.
Riordan said the bus was taking workers to a farm in the area. Woods said farm workers are undocumented immigrants.
“Everything I’ve been told at this point, they all have what it takes to be here,” Woods said. “There’s no reason for me to associate with these people. They’re hard workers and there’s nothing wrong with them being here.”
Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Alicia Barcena said on social media Some Mexican nationals were involved in the accident. Woods said the language barrier was a challenge in conducting the investigation, but officials have bilingual staff to translate.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office said on social media A portion of the highway where the accident occurred will be closed for the rest of the day.
The Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. Riordan said investigators will need at least six months to investigate.
