Republished January 25, 2019 - 8:47 PM
Original Publication Date January 25, 2019 - 5:11 PM
ATHENS, Texas - One student was killed and two other individuals were injured after an East Texas school bus was hit by a train on Friday, authorities said.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported the collision took place around 4 p.m. when the bus was at a train crossing in Athens, located about 70 miles (112 kilometres) southeast of Dallas.
At a news conference Friday evening, Athens Police Chief Buddy Hill said a 13-year-old male middle school student was killed. A 9-year-old girl in elementary school was injured and flown to a Dallas hospital, where she was in critical but stable condition.
No other students were on the bus, according to the school district.
The bus driver was also injured and taken to a hospital, where he's in stable condition, Hill said.
"My heart is broken for the families," said Athens school district Superintendent Blake Stiles.
The names of the two students and the bus driver were not immediately released.
Authorities were still determining a cause of the collision.
Hill said there were no wooden gate arms or warning lights at the train crossing where the collision took place.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019