New Mexico State Police has said there are at least seven confirmed fatalities in the wake of a major collision involving a semitruck and a Greyhound bus on Thursday. A preliminary probe indicated that the truck—traveling east on Interstate 40—suffered a tire blowout before swerving into opposing west bound traffic and colliding head on with a Greyhound bus carrying more than forty-eight passengers. Police said in a release that "many" of those who were inside the vehicle suffered serious injuries, and noted the investigation is ongoing. The majority of bus passengers were transported to area hospitals, while the driver of the semitruck sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash. The ages, genders, and seat positions of the victims will not be released until family members have been notified, police said. Footage posted online by a person driving past the scene of the accident showed the front end of the bus completely destroyed, as local authorities attended to the wreckage. One eyewitness told KRQE: "When we went by the overturned semi, everything in the trailer was out on the road. It was a disaster… you could tell people were in distress, screams were coming from bus." The bus was headed from Albuquerque to Phoenix and then Los Angeles, NPR said. Greyhound spokeswoman Crystal Booker told the publication: "Our first priority is taking care of our passengers and their families, as this incident has deeply impacted all involved. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone as we continue to give our support to all affected." #NMBusCrash UPDATE: Seven (7) confirmed fatalities on scene. — NMSP (@NMStatePolice) August 31, 2018 #BREAKING: @NMStatePolice confirm multiple fatalities in a crash involving @GreyhoundBus that was on it's way to Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/6tMbWCyGub — "George" Habib Obi (@ObiSun) August 30, 2018 In a statement, New Mexico Department of Public Safety said: "State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau officers are conducting an investigation and inspection of the semitruck. "McKinley County Emergency Management has established a reunification center for families affected by this tragedy. [Families] seeking information about a family member involved in this incident are asked to call the McKinley Emergency Operations Center at (505) 722-4246. "The National Transportation Safety Board arrived later on scene and will be conducting an investigation along with the New Mexico State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit. This incident remains under investigation." KRQU reported that only six people who were on board were not transported to a hospital for treatment. In a tweet today, state police said that both eastbound lanes have now been reopened at the crash scene. The NTSB will reportedly now send 10 investigators to the site.<doc-sep>THOREAU, N.M. — New Mexico state police said the death toll had increased to seven in a fatal crash Thursday involving a Greyhound bus and a tractor trailer. The accident occured along Interstate 40 in New Mexico, near the Arizona border. Investigators believe the tractor trailer crossed the median and hit the bus head on. The front end of the bus was ripped off and debris scattered across the highway as emergency crews desperately tried to reach victims. The bus was carrying 49 passengers and heading to Phoenix, Arizona. Many of the seriously injured people were taken to an area hospital. One trauma center reported getting six patients, with three in critical condition. "We are fully cooperating with local authorities and will also complete an investigation of our own," Greyhound spokeswoman Crystal Booker said in a statement. The crash occurred near the town of Thoreau. It forced the closure of the westbound lanes of the interstate and traffic was backing up as travelers were diverted. Mireya Villarreal contributed to this report.<doc-sep>THOREAU, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on a commercial bus crash in New Mexico (all times local): 10:40 p.m. Authorities say there are now seven confirmed fatalities from a truck-bus crash on a New Mexico interstate. Preliminary information indicates a semi-truck traveling the opposite way had a blow-out and crashed head-on into the bus on Thursday afternoon. Greyhound says 49 passengers were aboard the bus, which was heading from Albuquerque to Phoenix. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were dispatched to the scene, along with the New Mexico State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit. State police say the driver of the truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries. ___ 9:15 p.m. New Mexico State Police say one westbound lane of Interstate 40, where a fatal truck-bus crash killed at least four people, is now open. Both eastbound lanes of the highway also have reopened. Preliminary information indicates a semi-truck traveling the opposite way had a blow-out and crashed head-on into the bus. Greyhound says 49 passengers were aboard the bus, which was heading from Albuquerque to Phoenix. At least nine passengers were being treated at an Albuquerque hospital. Officials did not release any details about the patients' conditions. ___ 6:45 p.m. Officials say nine passengers from a deadly head-on bus crash in New Mexico are being treated at an Albuquerque hospital. Officials at University of New Mexico Hospital say they are expecting another three patients to be transported later Thursday. Officials did not release any details about the patients' conditions. Authorities have said that people were injured in the crash along Interstate 40 but they have not provided an exact count. At least four people were killed. Greyhound says 49 passengers were aboard the bus, which was heading from Albuquerque to Phoenix. Preliminary information indicates a semi-truck traveling the opposite way had a blow-out and crashed head-on into the bus. Story continues ___ 5:45 p.m. Authorities say preliminary information indicates a blown tire on a semi-truck is to blame for a head-on crash that killed at least four people and injured numerous others aboard a commercial passenger bus. New Mexico State Police say the semi was headed east when one of its tires blew, sending the rig across the median and into oncoming traffic where it slammed into the Greyhound bus. Police say a number of bus passengers were transported to hospitals with serious injuries. They could not immediately say how many people were injured. A motorist who came upon the scene described it as chaotic as passengers were on the ground and people were screaming. ___ 5:15 p.m. A motorist says the scene of a deadly bus crash in New Mexico was chaotic, with people screaming, passengers on the ground, and debris scattered across an interstate highway. Chris Jones said in a phone interview that he was headed west Thursday on Interstate 40 near the Arizona state line when he saw a semi-truck on its side. Jones says he stopped to help and talked to the driver who told him that one of his front tires had popped, forcing the truck to veer into oncoming traffic, where it struck the bus. Authorities have not said what caused the crash. They also have not said how many people were killed or how many were injured. Greyhound revised the number of passengers on the bus to 49, up from the 47 reported earlier. The company says it is cooperating with authorities and plans its own investigation. The bus was headed from Albuquerque to Phoenix when the crash happened near Thoreau. ___ 3:30 p.m. New Mexico authorities say multiple people have been killed in a commercial passenger bus crash along Interstate 40. New Mexico State Police did not say how many people died or how many were injured in Thursday's crash. They said passengers were transported to a hospital and a phone number was set up for family members seeking more information about people who were aboard the bus. The wreckage included a Greyhound bus with front-end damage and a semi-truck that was on its side and with its cargo strewn across the highway and the median. Greyhound says the bus was heading from Albuquerque to Phoenix and there were 47 passengers on board. Spokeswoman Crystal Booker says it's unclear what caused the crash. The crash forced the closure of the westbound lanes of the interstate and traffic was backing up as travelers were being diverted. ___ 3:10 p.m. New Mexico State Police say officers have confirmed multiple casualties from a commercial passenger bus crash along Interstate 40 near the Arizona-New Mexico state line. Authorities did not release any other details, saying officers and rescue workers are still at the scene and that some passengers of the Greyhound bus were transported to a hospital in the area. The McKinley County Office of Emergency Management set up a phone line for the family members of passengers who are looking for more information. Images from the scene showed a semi-truck on its side and the bus with front-end damage. Debris from the semi also littered the area. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. Traffic was backed up along the interstate near the town of Thoreau as westbound lanes were blocked. ___ 2:30 p.m. New Mexico State Police are reporting serious injuries among the passengers aboard a commercial bus that crashed along Interstate 40. Authorities say police and rescue workers are on the scene but they did not provide details as to how many people were injured or what caused the crash. They said passengers are being transported to the hospital. The crash happened Thursday afternoon near the town of Thoreau in western New Mexico. Traffic was being diverted as the westbound lanes of the interstate were closed due to the crash. State transportation officials were warning travelers to expect delays.<doc-sep>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A blown tire on a semi-truck may be to blame for a deadly head-on crash with a commercial passenger bus along Interstate 40 in New Mexico near the Arizona border, according to authorities. At least seven people were killed in the crash and many of the 49 passengers aboard the Greyhound bus were injured although authorities couldn't immediately provide an exact count of how many were hurt or their conditions. New Mexico State Police said the semi was headed east on the freeway Thursday afternoon when one of its tires blew, sending the rig across the median and into oncoming traffic where it slammed into the Greyhound bus heading to Phoenix from Albuquerque. The National Transportation Safety Board and New Mexico state police are investigating. At least nine bus passengers were being treated at University of New Mexico Hospital. UNM officials didn't release any details about the patients' conditions. Passing motorists described a chaotic scene with passengers on the ground and people screaming. Eric Huff was heading to the Grand Canyon with his girlfriend when they came across the crash. Huff said the semi's trailer was upside down and "shredded to pieces," and the front of the Greyhound bus was smashed, with many of the seats pressed together. Part of the side of the bus was torn off, he said. "It was an awe-inspiring terrible scene," he said. Truck driver Santos Soto III shot video showing the front of the Greyhound sheared off and the semi split open, with its contents strewn across the highway. He saw people sobbing on the side of the road as bystanders tried to comfort them. "I was really traumatized myself, because I've been driving about two years and I had never seen anything like that before," Soto said. "I'm a pretty strong person and I broke down and cried for at least 30 minutes," he added. Chris Jones was headed west on Interstate 40 when he caught his first glimpse of the semi turned over. He saw the rest of the wreckage and stopped to help before coming across the driver of the semi sitting on the shoulder of the highway. "It was intense," Jones said. He said the driver told him that one of his front tires had popped, forcing the truck to veer into oncoming traffic, where it struck the bus. "We are fully cooperating with local authorities and will also complete an investigation of our own," Greyhound spokeswoman Crystal Booker said in a statement. The crash occurred near the town of Thoreau. It forced the closure of westbound lanes of the interstate and traffic was backing up as travelers were diverted. By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and ALINA HARTOUNIAN.<doc-sep>
THOREAU, N.M. (KABC) -- At least seven people were killed and dozens injured in a crash involving a Los Angeles-bound Greyhound bus and a big rig in New Mexico on Interstate 40, authorities said.The Route 1333 bus was heading through New Mexico and Arizona, with final scheduled stops in San Bernardino and downtown Los Angeles. There were 49 passengers on board, according to Greyhound.The bus had left St. Louis Wednesday morning, according to its route schedule. It was on the way to Phoenix when the crash occurred.Preliminary information indicated the semi was headed east when it blew a tire, sending the rig across the median and into oncoming traffic where it smashed into the bus, New Mexico State Police said.Earlier on, the police said there were four casualties, but the number increased to seven by Thursday night.There were 42 people transported to local hospitals and six treated for minor injuries at the scene.The wreckage included a Greyhound bus with front-end damage and a semi-truck that was on its side and with its cargo strewn across the highway and the median.Greyhound spokeswoman Crystal Booker says it's unclear what caused the crash. "We are fully cooperating with local authorities and will also complete an investigation of our own," Booker said in a statement.The crash forced the closure of the westbound lanes of the interstate and traffic was backing up as travelers were being diverted.Chris Jones was headed west on Interstate 40 when he caught his first glimpse of the semi turned over. He saw the rest of the wreckage and stopped to help before coming across the driver of the semi sitting on the shoulder of the highway. "It was intense," Jones said.He said the driver told him that one of his front tires had popped, forcing the truck to veer into oncoming traffic, where it struck the bus.The crash occurred near the town of Thoreau. It forced the closure of the westbound lanes of the interstate and traffic was backing up as travelers were diverted.The Associated Press contributed to this report.