Church Bus Crashes In Atlanta Area; 1 killed, Others Injured
ATLANTA (AP) — A church bus carrying dozens of high school students and adults from Alabama crashed near Atlanta on Thursday afternoon, killing one person and injuring several others, authorities said.
The Mount Zion Baptist Church bus from Huntsville, Alabama, was headed to the airport for a student ministry mission trip to Africa when it collided with another vehicle on a four-lane road, Fulton County Police Cpl. Partrena Smith said.
Smith said at least 10 people were hurt, including two critically. Fulton County Fire Chief Larry Few said 21 people were hurt.
The Associated Press couldn't immediately determine the discrepancy in the number of injuries.
Smith said there were two people in the car involved in the crash, but she wasn't sure of their conditions.
Images from the scene showed the bus on its roof and another car underneath it. The parkway where the crash occurred was completely closed and firetrucks and ambulances swarmed the area near Atlanta's airport.
Church education minister Terry Slay told WXIA-TV that the bus was carrying 11th- and 12th-graders, along with adults. The church asked people for prayers on its Facebook page.
Smith said the National Transportation Safety Board is handling the investigation moving forward.