At least one person was killed and several others were injured, after a school bus traveling back from a field trip outside Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, blew a tire and flipped on a South Carolina highway.
Chester County Emergency Management Director Ed Darby told Fox News Digital about 21 students were treated for injuries, of whom roughly 17 were taken to the hospital via ambulance or helicopter.
One student died and five others remain in critical condition, Darby said. None of the three adults on the bus were treated for injuries, he said.
The crash, which happened at about 1:45 p.m. on the southbound side of Interstate 77 in Chester County near exit 55, involved a Lexington County School District 2 school bus carrying about 35 students and three adults from Pine Ridge Middle School, according to the Chester County Sheriff’s Office and South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP).
A tire blew on one of three buses traveling back from the field trip, causing it to crash into a guardrail, according to SCHP.
Highway patrol confirmed one person was pronounced dead, though their identity has not yet been released.
Traffic is expected to be blocked for an “extended amount of time,” according to the sheriff’s office.
EMS was on the scene, along with law enforcement agencies and school personnel.
The Chester County School District posted on Facebook noting it had personnel on scene helping.
“Our thoughts, prayers, and support go out to the Lexington County School District 2 and those involved,” the district wrote in the post.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating.
Lexington County School District 2 did not immediately provide any additional details to Fox News Digital.
