At least eight people were killed and dozens of others were injured on Tuesday after a bus carrying migrant farm workers collided with a pickup truck in Central Florida, the local authorities said.
The bus was carrying 53 migrant workers when it sideswiped a pickup truck, drove through a fence and overturned in unincorporated Marion County, west of Ocala, Fla., according to a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol, which is investigating the incident.
About 40 passengers were taken to nearby hospitals to be treated for injuries, the spokeswoman said. She did not say the extent of their injuries.
The authorities did not confirm where the bus was traveling, but the local station WCJB reported the bus was carrying workers employed at a watermelon farm in the area.
Cannon Farms, a farm and market in Dunnellon, Fla., said it would be closed until further notice out of respect for “the losses and injuries endured” in the road accident. The company did not answer calls seeking comment.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said a stretch of State Road 40, where the incident occurred, would be closed for most of the day.
This is a developing story.
