A bus carrying Texas high school band members home from a trip to Disney World plunged into a ravine in Alabama Tuesday morning, killing one person and injuring many others.
Ropes were used by first responders to rappel down a 50-foot ravine in the middle of Interstate 10 to reach the trapped students. Other equiptment was then used to cut out the victims.
About 45 people were on board, and all of them were brought to 10 hospitals in Alabama and Florida, either by helicopter or ambulance, authorities confirmed.
The bus entered the median and then plunged into the ravine at about 5:30 a.m., the sheriff said. It wasn’t immediately clear why.
An image of the wreckage shows the crumpled bus landed on its side, far below the pavement.
Channelview Independent School District spokesman Mark Kramer confirmed that the charter bus was carrying Channelview High School band members. Kramer’s statement said the district had only limited details in the immediate aftermath and was in contact with law enforcement in Alabama to get more information.
An official with the bus charter company, First Class Tours of Houston, said the company was working on a statement.
One image posted on the band’s Facebook page hours before the crash showed a large group posing outside Disney World.