Ten people were killed Wednesday when a bus carrying state prisoners slid from an icy overpass down an embankment, before colliding with a passing train in West Texas, a county sheriff said.
The bus did not have any seat belts onboard.
The overpass on Interstate 20 was slick with ice Wednesday morning when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus left the roadway just west of Odessa, according to Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson.
After plummeting from the highway, the bus struck one of the cars of a passing train which ripped away the front section of the bus.
Local reports indicate that no one escaped from the bus uninjured. Five people, four prisoners and one officer, were taken to a hospital. A spokeswoman for Medical Center Hospital in Odessa did not have information on the severity of those injuries.
Wreckage of TDC bus crashed on train tracks near Penwell. OA confirmed 10 fatalities. pic.twitter.com/7YVn1Vtfks— OAphotoEditor (@OAphotoEditor) January 14, 2015
Justice department spokesman Jason Clark said the bus was transporting prisoners from the Middleton prison in Abilene to the Sanchez prison in El Paso.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said in a statement that eight prisoners and two corrections officers were killed.
The white bus came to rest on its side, crumpled with heavy damage to its top and undercarriage.
"It's with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of those killed and injured this morning in a tragic accident," said Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. "Their loved ones will be in our thoughts and prayers."
Battalion Chief Kavin Tinney: "It's as bad as you can imagine. In 32 years it's as bad as anything I've seen"— Corey Paul (@OAcrude) January 14, 2015
The Union Pacific train was carrying freight and came to a stop shortly after being struck. Two employees on the train were not injured.
State Rep. Tan Parker notified the Texas House of the accident and led a moment of silence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.