HARRISBURG, Pa. — A charter bus carrying up to 50 people crashed and hit another vehicle on Pennsylvania Interstate 81 just before midnight, killing three passengers aboard the bus and hospitalizing dozens more, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
The crash occurred during heavy rain about 11:50 p.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 81 just north of Harrisburg. The bus left the roadway, struck an embankment and rolled onto its right side before striking the back of a car that was stopped in the right lane of traffic, state police documented in the collision report, according to the Associated Press.
Although the exact number of injured people was unclear, the surviving passengers suffered injuries “varying from minor to critical,” Trooper Megan Frazer told Fox News Digital.
“Multiple passengers on the bus are deceased. Multiple people have been transported to Hershey Medical center for varying injuries,” Frazer added.
The Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center told the news outlet that it received 28 patients who were involved in the bus rollover.
A hospital spokesperson said Monday morning that two patients were admitted as inpatients, 16 are being treated in the Emergency Department and 10 patients have been discharged,
However, 28 people does not represent all of the injured. Several more patients were taken to a other hospitals, the spokesperson said.
Authorities have not yet identified the deceased victims as family notifications were being made.
The southbound roadway along Interstate 81 was shut down between exits 77 and 72 for several hours, police said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation and a primary collision factor has not been released.