Nov. 15 (UPI) — A tour bus overturned in bad weather Wednesday afternoon in Mississippi, killing two people and injuring the remaining 44 passengers, authorities said.
The bus was traveling southbound on Interstate 269 in DeSoto County, about 40 miles from Memphis, when it crashed around 12:30 p.m., the Desoto Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post. It was headed from Huntsville, Ala., to Tunica, Miss.
Emergency officials transported the injured to various area hospitals with a wide variety of injuries, the sheriff’s department said.
“The 44 injuries range from complaining of pain to cuts to more,” Sgt. Joey Miller, a spokesman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol, told AL.com.
The sheriff’s department said the cause of the crash was weather related.
“The roads and bridges are still icing over,” the department said. “Please use extreme caution, if you have to get out on the roads tonight.”
Firefighters climbed through the bus’ roof to free passengers, WMC-TV reported.
Teague VIP Express in Anniston, Ala., operated the bus.
“Our prayers and our hearts go out to the families,” a Teague spokeswoman told AL.com. “Right now, our concern is the people who were on the bus.”
Teague vehicles haven’t been involved in any prior crashes, federal records indicate. It had a “satisfactory” rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration based on 2017.
