A semi truck rear-ended a charter bus transporting high school students on an Ohio highway Tuesday morning, leaving three people dead and 15 injured in a “mass casualty” incident, reports say.
The crash happened just before 9:00 a.m. on I-70, according to the Associated Press (AP). Three individuals died and 15 were wounded, the outlet reported, citing an emergency official. Five vehicles were involved in the crash.
The Pioneer Trails charter bus had 57 people on board, per AP. The bus was transporting students from Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, Licking County emergency management director Sean Grady said, per the outlet.
Fran and I are praying for everyone involved in the bus crash east of Columbus today. 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. I am with @OSHP now, and…
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) November 14, 2023
Students and chaperones were on their way to the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) conference in Columbus, AP reported, citing Superintendent Derek Varansky. (RELATED: 2 Killed, At Least 5 Critically Injured After Bus Carrying High-Schoolers Crashes On Highway)
An OSBA spokesperson said the event was canceled in light of the crash, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
“Given this devastating news, we have canceled our conference,” an OSBA spokesperson said in a statement, per the outlet. “Right now, our focus is on providing support to Tuscarawas Valley. That includes making grief counselors from our trade show available.”
Thirty-four students were taken to Etna United Methodist Church after the crash, the Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio’s regional communications manager Don Hawkins told The Columbus Dispatch. Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed to AP that people were killed in the crash but did not say anything more as authorities work to notify families.
“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,” Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said on Twitter.
Dispatchers classified the crash as a “mass casualty incident, level 3,” The Columbus Dispatch reported. Such a classification means at least 10 people suffered injuries and that first responders and hospitals across the region will be needed.