Train Hits Bus in Mississippi, Killing 4 Passengers

One witness told the paper the bus was hit about five to 10 minutes after it had became stuck on the tracks.

Police chief John Miller said he was unsure why the train was stopped on the tracks.

The train slammed into the bus Tuesday, killing four people and injuring more than three dozen others. In a brief news conference Wednesday morning, NSTB board member, Robert Sumwalt, said the team should arrive in South Mississippi by 8:30 a.m. and go right to work. “What is it about this intersection is there anything particular in this crossing and that’s what we want to know”, said Robert Sumwalt with the NTSB. Officials initially said four people died and then revised it down to three.

Passengers on the bus, which was operated by the Texas-based Echo Transportation, said they were traveling from Austin, according to Miller. The Sun Herald posted a video of Miller’s press conference to its Facebook page, as well as a sidebar to the tragedy detailing the unsafe traffic history of the site where the bus was hit.

“I had a report back from someone who said, ‘I’ve seen things, that I just don’t think I’ll ever forget.’ And that’s hard”, said Barbara Adkins with the senior center.

A nearby auto used a stepladder following the crash to help people off the bus while emergency repsonders pulled others through windows. At least 40 were hurt, seven critically.

Officials have not released the names of the people who died. Creel says as many as 50 people were on the bus. Gary Sease said the train had three locomotives and 52 cars. Soon after that, the red lights at the crossing switched on and the safety gates came down to signal the arrival of a train, she said.

Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Marc Willis said the agency is sending three inspectors to investigate, while MS is sending one.