At least two killed when bus overturns in Texas

IRVING, Texas — A chartered bus overturned on a busy highway near Dallas on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring several others, authorities said.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Lonny Haschel said the bus was carrying about 30 people when it slid off the busy highway in Irving, just east of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He said two people were killed in the crash.

Haschel said the bus was traveling north to a casino, likely one in Oklahoma.

The bus rolled into in the center median along State Highway 161. Police and emergency workers were using ladders to get to emergency exits on top of the bus to get to passengers, some of whom were being wheeled on stretchers to ambulances. Medical helicopters also were at the scene.

Las Colinas Medical Center in Irving confirmed that six patients from the wreck had been transported to the facility. Details weren’t immediately available on their conditions. Hospital spokesman Tyler Adams says he believes more patients are on their way.

A spokesman for Baylor Medical Center in Irving said patients also were arriving at his hospital. Officials expected about a dozen patients from the crash.

The bus belongs to Cardinal Coach Line, based in nearby Mansfield. A man who answered the phone at the company confirmed the bus was owned by Cardinal Coach but declined further comment.

The crash backed up traffic in the area for several miles.