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8 dead, dozens injured in farmworkers bus crash in central Florida

Time:2024-06-03 18:42:26

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday after colliding with a pickup truck on a rural road, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.

The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers at about 6:40 a.m. when it collided with a truck in Marion County, about 80 miles north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Authorities say the bus swerved off State Road 40, a straight but somewhat hilly two-lane road that passes through farms. It crashed through a fence and ended up on its side in a field. The workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, which has been harvesting watermelons.

Photos taken by the Ocala Star-Banner at the scene show the bus lying on its side with both its emergency rear door and top hatch open. The truck that hit it shows extensive damage to its driver’s side.