Six reported dead in Ohio high school bus crash
Six people are reported dead and 15 others were left injured after a charter bus carrying high school band students collided with a semi-truck in Ohio on Tuesday morning.
Sean Grady, director of Licking County Emergency Management, confirmed the number of fatalities and injured to The Independent, but directed further questions to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. It’s unclear if all the individuals killed were students.
Dr Derek Varansky, superintendent of Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools, said that pupils and chaperones from his district were on their way to the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The conference was cancelled after news of the accident broke, a spokesperson for the association said. Ohio Republican Gov Mike DeWine spoke at the event on Monday. The students were part of the district’s band and were scheduled to perform at the conference.
Mr Varansky called the news “devastating and heartbreaking”.
“Right now, our focus is on getting in touch with our Tusky Valley families who had loved ones on the bus and providing support to our entire school community,” Dr Varansky said. “Our Trojan family is strong, and it will take that strength and love to get throughout these coming challenging days.”
Approximately 57 people were on board when the truck rear-ended the bus around 8.30am on Interstate 70 West close to the Smoke Road underpass in Licking County, about 40 miles northeast of Columbus, the Associated Press reported.
The collision involved five vehicles. The charter bus the students were on belonged to Pioneer Trails, a bus company operating out of Millersburg. In a statement posted to Facebook, the business said it was cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the crash.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those impacted by this accident,” the statement concluded.
The entity has a satisfactory safety rating, according to US Department of Transportation data. It has been involved in one other crash in the last 24 months that resulted in one injured person.
During a news conference, Lieutenant Nathan Dennis, a spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said 18 people were taken to seven area hospitals. At least 34 students were taken to the Etna United Methodist Church, where officials set up a reunification center for those not injured in the crash.
Don Hawkins, regional communications manager for the Red Cross, said a “steady stream of parents” had been arriving at the site since about 12pm ET.
The nonprofit fufilled a request for 30 units of blood from the Mount Carmel Health System, according to local reports.
Shortly after the accident took place, officials closed the highway in both directions. It has been reopened on the Eastbound side while crews continue cleaning up, the Ohio Department of Transportation said.
The incident has been classified as a “mass casualty” event, The Columbus Dispatch reported, meaning that 10 or more people have been injured and will need emergency services to transfer them to local hospitals for treatment.
Some of the individuals harmed were taken to Licking Memorial Hospital, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital and Mount Carmel East Hospital, according to The Dispatch.
A representative of The OhioHealth system said it received five patients across their campuses. The individuals all had minor injuries. A spokesperson for Nationwide Children’s Hospital said the facility received three victims following the incident. One has been discharged while two remain at the hospital.
Cameras nearby show smoke rising from the crash site. Several agencies, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Licking County Sheriff’s Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation responded to the scene.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation said that officials expect the highway to be closed for several hours while emergency responders clean up debris from the crash site. DOT officers are providing traffic control east and west of the zone, which is frequently used by semi-trucks.
A hazmat team was also on site to stabilize any potential chemicals from the crash, John Wieber, deputy director of Licking County Emergency Management, said.
Officials did not give direct answers to questions regarding the crash, but said additional information would be provided once the proper notifications were made.
The Ohio governor reacted to the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday afternoon.
“Fran and I are praying for everyone involved in the bus crash east of Columbus today,” he said. “It is our worst nightmare to have a bus full of children involved in such a terrible crash, and it is certainly the worst nightmare that families and schools can endure.”
A representative for Mr DeWine confirmed that he has ordered all flags at the Ohio State Capitol and in Tuscarawas County be lowered to half-mast to honour the victims of the day’s tragedy.
A vigil is set to take place at 7pm in the stadium inside Tusky Valley Middle-High school. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the families of the victims. It has so far reached nearly $4,000 out of a $10,000 goal.
