7 killed, dozens injured after passenger bus crashes in Mississippi

WARREN COUNTY, Miss. ( WJTV ) – A crash involving a passenger bus in Warren County killed seven passengers early Saturday morning.

The crash occurred on Interstate 20 near Bovina around 12:40 a.m., according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP).

Troopers said a 2018 Volvo commercial passenger bus was traveling westbound on I-20 when the vehicle left the roadway and overturned. Six passengers were pronounced deceased at the scene, and one died at Merit Health River Region in Vicksburg.

The dead included a 6-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister, according to Warren County Coroner Doug Huskey. They were identified by their mother. Authorities were working to identify the other victims, he said.

According to MHP, 37 passengers were transported to different hospitals in Vicksburg and Jackson with unknown injuries. Troopers said the co-driver was not transported to a hospital.

The bus was traveling from Atlanta to Dallas with 41 passengers and two drivers, the highway patrol said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTS) plans to look at how well the tires were maintained, NTSB member Todd Inman said at a news conference late Saturday. The NTSB previously said the crash was caused by tire failure.

Members of the NTSB arrived in Mississippi Saturday evening, and more members are expected to arrive by Sunday morning in order to investigate the crash.

The NTSB is investigating the crash in conjunction with MHP. Inman said the NTSB will also look at the carrier’s safety record and protections for bus occupants.

The bus was operated by Autobuses Regiomontanos. A woman who answered the phone at its Laredo, Texas, office said it was aware of the crash, but she didn’t answer questions or provide her name.

The transit company says it has 20 years of experience providing cross-border trips between 100 destinations in Mexico and the U.S. Its website promotes “a modern fleet of buses that receive daily maintenance,” and offers “trips with a special price for workers.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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