June 24 (UPI) — A bus transporting a New Mexico church group veered off a Colorado highway and crashed into a bridge embankment, killing two people and injuring several others, officials said.
Colorado State Patrol said Sunday it was investigating the commercial bus crash on the Interstate 25 southbound lane in Pueblo, about 45 minutes south of Colorado Springs.
“At this time we have confirmed two fatalities related to this charter bus crash,” CSP said on Twitter. “Our condolences go out to the families of those involved in this crash.”
The bus was carrying 10 children and five adults, CSP said.
State Patrol Sgt. Blake White told reporters that the 22-year-old bus driver and a passenger were killed in the crash while 13 other passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to critical.
The driver, who was ejected from the bus as it smashed into the embankment, may have been suffering from a seizure at the time of the accident, State Patrol Cpl. Ivan Alvarado said.
The church group was from the Aquinas Newman Center of the University of New Mexico and was on its way home from the Steubenville of the Rockies Youth Conference in Denver when the accident occurred.
“Please pray tonight for a Catholic group from New Mexico who were involved in a tragic bus accident this afternoon in Pueblo,” the Archdiocese of Denver said in a Facebook post, adding, “We send our prayers and deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed, and our prayers for healing and comfort for those who were injured.”
