At Least 13 Killed in Texas Church Bus Crash

VOA News
Last Updated: 30 March 2017 (1:37AM)

At least 13 people were killed and two injured when a pickup and a church van collided head-on on southwestern Texas highway.

The crash happened Wednesday afternoon about 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of San Antonio, police said.

Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Johnny Hernandez confirmed that the person died at a San Antonio hospital. Hernandez said the bus driver and 11 passengers died at the scene of the crash.

Hernandez said the lone survivor from the bus was hospitalized in critical condition, while the pickup driver was hospitalized in stable condition.

Police said the van was carrying 14 senior members of the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, and there was one person, the driver, in the truck.

In a statement posted on the church website, church officials said the members were returning from a three-day retreat at the Alto Frio Baptist Encampment in Leakey, about nine miles (14 kilometers) north of the crash site.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the scene to begin seeking the cause of the crash, NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.