By Associated Press
Huntsville, AL – A school bus carrying high school students veered off an interstate overpass and crashed nose-first 30 feet below, killing at least three students and causing numerous injuries. At a news conference today, Huntsville Police Chief Rex Reynolds said a car apparently came close to or struck the bus. He said the bus crashed through a guard rail on the elevated section of I-565 and plunged onto a city street below. Reynolds said two teenage girls died at the scene and more than 30 students and the driver were taken to hospitals. Huntsville Hospital officials said two students are still in the operating room and two others were evaluated as critical. The wreck was reported to police at about 10-10 a-m. The police chief identified the dead high school students as 18-year-old Christina Collier and 17-year-old Nicole Ford. Huntsville Hospital C-E-O David Spillers said a third teenager, Tanesha Hill, died at the hospital from her injuries. Her age was not available. The front of the bus was crushed and Reynolds said hospital personnel were able to speak with the driver. Police said investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were en route to the city to begin their inquiry. Governor Bob Riley said teams from the Department of Transportation and the state Emergency Management Agency were dispatched to provide assistance to city officials.