A Texas school bus carrying more than 40 students rolled onto its side after veering off a road while on its way to drop off students after their first day of class, injuring 12 people, authorities said.
The bus was carrying 43 people — 42 children and the bus driver — some of whom suffered serious injuries, Austin-Travis County officials said.
The incident occurred around 3.15 p.m. Wednesday, when the school bus, traveling south on Nameless Road, veered off the right side of the road “for an unknown reason” and rolled over, Department of Public Safety Sgt. Billy Ray said at a news conference.
The preliminary crash investigation is still ongoing, Ray said.
Twelve people were transported to local hospitals. At least one person has life-threatening injuries, while two others have “potentially life-threatening injuries,” Assistant Chief Kevin Parker, with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, said during the press conference.
The victims have not been named. The driver was among those taken to the hospital, officials said.
“This tragedy this afternoon is really breaking our hearts,” Leander Independent School District Superintendent Bruce Gearing said, noting that the community is still reeling from the floods that devastated the state last month.
The bus, a 2024 vehicle equipped with state-regulated seatbelts, was primarily used to transport students from Bagdad Elementary School, Gearing said.
No students had been dropped off yet when the bus veered off course, the superintendent added.
“We want each of those students and their families to know that our prayers are with them, our thoughts are with them and we will do everything that we can in our power to support them,” he said.
Photos captured the damaged yellow school bus, flipped onto its side next to the rural road, with a broken windshield.
Officials said Round Mountain Baptist Church was being used as a reunification site.
