IRVING, Texas (AP) — At least two people were killed and about 35 others were hospitalized after a charter bus careened off a Texas highway and flipped onto its side Thursday, drawing a large emergency response as rescue crews struggled to reach victims inside, authorities said.
The Cardinal Coach Line bus was traveling just east of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Irving when suddenly weaved across the highway, stuck a concrete barrier and toppled over, witnesses said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
"We ended up swirling and weaving and then ended up on the side," passenger Daniel Risik, 73, told The Dallas Morning News. "People were screaming and hollering, a very traumatic situation to say the least."
He said most people aboard the bus, which picked up passengers in Fort Worth, weren't wearing seat belts.
"People were piled on top of each other," he said. "It was unbelievable. A lady had pinned me. Rescue got there and started pulling people out of a roof emergency hatch. People were hollering, screaming, there was blood all over the place. It was unbelievable."
The bus, which was carrying about 45 people, was headed to a casino in Oklahoma, officials said.