Authorities say a tire on a church bus blew out and the bus hit a tractor-trailer and sport utility vehicle in northeastern Tennessee, killing eight people.
The state Department of Safety and Homeland Security said the chartered bus crossed the median in Jefferson County about 2 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 40. The bus clipped an oncoming SUV and hit the tractor-trailer, which burst into flames. The bus, which was heading eastbound, overturned. The agency said 14 people were hurt.
The accident has shut down Interstate 40 in Jefferson County. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeremy Heidt said it was a church bus, did he did not know name.
Several hours after the crash, clouds of smoke still rose from the tractor-trailer and tree branches that lined the highway were charred.
The bus was on its side next to the tractor-trailer, lying across two lanes of traffic and extending moderately into the median. The bus itself didn't essentially catch on fire, but there was some "heat exposure," Jefferson County Emergency Management Director Brad Phillips said. Emergency responders were able to remove people who were alive rapidly to get them away from the flames and other Good Samaritans provided assistance.
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