Two high school students were killed Tuesday when the school bus they were riding in drove off an overpass in Houston, Texas, according to a statement released by the Houston Independent School District.
Prayers to all involved! RT @HoustonChron: UPDATE: Now 2 dead in S. Loop school bus crash. http://t.co/tbQjqYbu4a
The school bus was a mess of mangled metal when it came to rest below the 610 South Loop on Telephone Road.
The four students were headed to Furr High School, which also houses the REACH charter high school, when the bus was hit by a car around 7 a.m., according to HISD and the Houston Police Department.
A woman driving a Buick Le Sabre was heading eastbound alongside the bus on the 610 South Loop when she said that a car veered into her lane, causing her to veer toward her right and strike the bus, Victor Senties, a spokesman with the Houston Police Department, told BuzzFeed News.
The bus then overcorrected and made a hard right and struck the guardrail, causing it to go off the overpass, Senties said.
One female student was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second female student later succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital, according to the HISD. The other two male students and the bus driver were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said in a statement.
The names of the deceased students have not been released. HISD said that one of the girls attended Furr High School, while the other attended REACH charter high school.
The driver of the Buick is being questioned by police and the investigation into the accident is ongoing, Senties said. In addition to the HISD and the Houston Police Department, the National Transportation Safety Board said that it was also investigating the accident.
HISD said that the bus driver had a clean record and had worked for the district for three years. The school bus was purchased new in 2008 and had last been inspected in June.
The bus was equipped with lap seat belts for the students and had seven security cameras that will be reviewed by investigators, according to the HISD.