WARREN COUNTY, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said a team will be in Mississippi for at least a week to investigate a fatal bus crash that happened in Warren County.

NTSB member Todd Inman said the team wants to understand what happened and why it happened, as well as recommend changes to prevent something like this from happening again.

The crash occurred on Interstate 20 near Bovina around 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, August 31, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP). The bus was traveling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Dallas, Texas. Inman said there were 41 passengers on the vehicle, along with the driver and the co-driver.

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. Specialists are providing assistance to the survivors and their families.

According to MHP, multiple 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 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. He said the team is collecting evidence that will be sent off or analysis. They will look at the mechanical condition of the vehicle, the injuries of the occupants and the roadway conditions at the time of the crash.

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.”

According to Inman, the NTSB expects to release a preliminary report about the crash within 30 days. A final report by the agency is expected within 12 to 24 months. Witnesses with information about the crash can email the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.

The Associated Press contributed to this report .

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