(Reuters) - A bus with an unlicensed driver spun out of control near New Orleans on Sunday, killing two people and injuring 41, while taking volunteers to help with Louisiana flood relief, officials said.

A private rental bus involved in a multiple car accident which killed two people is seen in a picture released by the Louisiana State Police. Louisiana State Police/Handout via Reuters

St. John the Baptist Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin was among those killed in the early morning crash after the chartered bus slammed into him as he tried to help victims of another accident, Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Melissa Matey told reporters at a news conference.

Two other firefighters were injured in the crash, one critically, and a passenger in another vehicle struck by the bus died at the scene, the spokeswoman said.

The driver, who was unauthorized to drive a commercial vehicle, was in custody and would be booked on suspicion of negligent homicide, reckless driving and driving without a license, Matey said.

“All three firemen were thrown over the guard rail and into the water below,” Matey said.

The incident started when a speeding pickup truck spun out of control, bouncing from one side of the road to the other before coming to rest along the right lane and shoulder of Interstate 10 near the community of Laplace, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of New Orleans, Matey said.

The firefighters and state police troopers were on scene to investigate when the bus, also out of control, slammed into the fire truck and a Toyota Camry, Matey said. Jermaine Starr, a passenger in the Camry, was pronounced dead at the scene.

It was not immediately clear why the bus driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, 37, lost control.

Rodriguez, who is from Honduras, was in the United States illegally and Homeland Security officials are assisting the state in its investigation, Matey said.

The Acadian Ambulance Service said on Twitter it had taken 38 people to hospitals and that a second ambulance company had transported three to hospitals.

Matey said at the news conference that most of the injuries to the 24 people on the bus were minor to moderate.

The bus, filled with volunteers to help residents recover from massive flooding in Louisiana earlier this month, was traveling westbound on Interstate 10 when it crashed into the fire truck and another vehicle, the television station and other media reported.

As many as 60,600 homes were reported damaged or destroyed in flooding that ravaged 20 parishes, or counties, in the southern part of Louisiana. About 3,000 residents were still living in shelters as of Aug. 22, officials said last week.</s>(CNN) An undocumented immigrant was piloting a charter bus that he wasn't licensed to drive when it crashed Sunday morning in Louisiana, killing two people and injuring dozens, police said.

The bus was full of workers headed to Baton Rouge on Interstate 10 to help with flood cleanup, said Louisiana State Police Trooper Melissa Matey.

The driver was Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, Matey said.

One of those killed was St. John the Baptist Parish Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin, Matey said.

The wreck happened at 6:40 a.m when the black charter bus came up on a blocked crash scene on Interstate 10 where Chauvin and two firefighters were assisting at a minor accident near LaPlace, Louisiana, west of New Orleans by Lake Pontchartrain.

"The bus driver lost control of the bus, struck a fire truck, veered across the right lane, striking other vehicles, then veered and struck three firefighters, who, all three, were thrown over the guardrail," Matey said.

While the bus was transporting workers, it was a party bus belonging to Kristina's Transportation LLC/AM Party Bus out of Jefferson, Louisiana, Matey said.

Police are still investigating the crash, she said.

Police gave this account: Chauvin, 36 of Gramercy, was standing with two firefighters by the interstate guardrail after responding to a crash early that morning. The firefighters had used one of their trucks to block the right lane of the interstate so they, police and the towing company could deal with the crash. A state trooper had his patrol car parked with blue lights flashing to warn early morning drivers. At least two other cars -- a Toyota Camry and a Chevrolet Silverado -- were stopped behind the emergency vehicles.

As the 2002 Eldorado National bus, which was speeding, approached the crash scene, it clipped the fire truck, police said.

The bus then struck the rear of the Camry, shoving it into the rear of the Silverado and a flatbed trailer.

The bus then veered and struck all three firefighters, hurling them into water about 35-feet below, police said.

Donna Vicknair, a longtime employee with the St. John the Baptist Parish, said Chauvin comes from a firefighting family. His father, Ivy "Sonny" Chauvin, is a retired fire chief and both his brothers work as firefighters.

Vicknair said Chauvin was a volunteer until 2004, when the department went from volunteer to full time and he chose to make firefighting his career. He was married and leaves behind two young children, a boy and a girl.

"He will be missed a whole lot around here," she said. "I will always remember Chief Chauvin as a good person."

One of Chauvin's brothers, Lance Chauvin, posted his thoughts on his Facebook page: "Never in my life did I expect to lose my brother. Everyone knows how dangerous our job is. We know how dangerous our job is. He gave his life to make other people's lives better. He was doing what he loved. Maybe one day I'll be half the man you are. Fly High Spencer."

The other person killed, Jermaine Starr, 21, of Moss Point, Mississippi, was in the backseat of the Camry, police said.

Firefighter William Mack Beal, 35, of Gonzales, was taken to a local hospital with moderate injuries, and firefighter Nicholas Saale, 32, of Ponchatoula, was airlifted to New Orleans with critical injuries, police said.

"This is a very sad day for all first responders in Louisiana," said Col. Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police superintendent. "Louisiana has the 'move over' law in place to protect our first responders on our roadways. Please adhere to this law and slow down when approaching emergency vehicles and disabled vehicles on the road."

The Camry driver, Marcus Tate, 35 of Moss Point, was airlifted to Baton Rouge with serious injuries.

Two of his passengers, Vontravous Kelly and David Jones, both of Moss Point, were hospitalized. Kelly is in critical condition and Jones is in serious condition, police said.

The Silverado contained three adults and two children, all of Kenner, Louisiana, who were taken to local hospitals with minor or moderate injuries, as were at least 24 passengers on the bus, police said.

Police initially reported 35-40 people were on the bus and authorities are still trying to identify all the victims, who are at various hospitals, Matey said.

It's not known who chartered the bus, she said.

The road was wet from light rain, but troopers who are investigating the crash don't know if weather was the main cause of the accident, Matey said.

Rodriguez, who was also treated at a hospital, will be booked into the St. John the Baptist Correctional Center and charged with two counts of negligent homicide, reckless operation, and having no driver's license, Matey said.</s>St. John the Baptist Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin died Sunday morning after the charter bus slammed into him as he tried to help victims of another accident, television station WWLTV of New Orleans reported, citing police and parish President Natalie Robottom.

Two other firefighters were injured in the crash and a second person, who has not yet been identified, also died, the television station said.

"It is a sad day in the St. John the Baptist Parish as we lost one of the bravest and most dedicated firefighters that I know," Robottom said in a statement according to the television station.

The bus driver, identified as 37-year-old Denis Amaya Rodriguez, was in custody on suspicion of multiple violations, NBC News reported, citing Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Melissa Matey. Rodriguez, who is from Honduras, was in the U.S. illegally, the network reported, citing Matey.

Few details were available Sunday afternoon about the cause of the accident. Matey told NBC that 41 people on the bus suffered minor injuries.

A local ambulance company said on Twitter it had transported 38 people to hospitals from the scene of the accident on Interstate 10 near the community of Laplace, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of New Orleans. The company, Acadian Ambulance Service, said that a second ambulance company had transported three additional people to hospitals.

The bus, filled with volunteers to help residents recover from massive flooding in Louisiana earlier this month, was traveling westbound on Interstate 10 when it crashed into the fire truck and another vehicle, the television station and other media reported.

As many as 60,600 homes were reported damaged or destroyed in flooding that ravaged 20 parishes, or counties, in the southern part of Louisiana. About 3,000 residents were still living in shelters as of Aug. 22, officials said last week.</s>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — U.S. Coast Guard officials say one person has been rescued and crews are searching for at least one more after a small plane crashed into a lake near a New Orleans airport.

NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune, WWL-TV and WBRZ-TV report that Coast Guard personnel responded to the scene Saturday night after the aircraft crashed in the vicinity of the Seabrook Bridge near Lakefront Airport. The airport is located adjacent to Lake Ponchatrain, about 10 miles northeast of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana.

Coast Guard officials say the Cessna training flight crashed about 8:30 p.m.

The person rescued was transferred to a New Orleans hospital in unknown condition.

No further details were immediately available.</s>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana State Police say an out-of-control bus carrying flood recovery volunteers hit a fire truck and firefighters who had responded to an earlier wreck, killing two people and injuring dozens.

Trooper Melissa Matey told NOLA.com ' The Times-Picayune (http://bit.ly/2bKiYW8 ) that the bus driver did not have a commercial license and was not authorized to drive a bus.

Matey tells local news media that the dead included a local fire chief and the injured included the 30 to 40 people on the bus.

She described them as volunteers heading from New Orleans to Baton Rouge to help flood victims.</s>NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Authorities say a woman has been rescued and two men remain missing after a small plane crashed into a lake near a New Orleans airport.

New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman Dawne Massey said in a statement early Sunday that department officials responded at 8:53 p.m. Saturday to a report that a Cessna aircraft carrying three people had crashed into Lake Ponchatrain near New Orleans Lakefront Airport.

The airport is located about 10 miles northeast of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana.

Massey said one female passenger was picked up by a private yacht and transported to Ochsner Hospital. Her medical condition was not immediately known.

Massey said NOPD divers were preparing to deploy in an effort to locate the additional two male passengers and the wreckage.

No further details were immediately available.
A bus carrying volunteers crashes into emergency vehicles responding to an earlier accident near New Orleans killing two, including the St. John the Baptist Fire District Chief, and injuring 43 more.