A charter bus traveling on interstate 10 in south Alabama crashed Tuesday morning, resulting in one death, several injuries, and a partial closure of the roadway.

The crash happened at approximately 5.30 a.m. on the westbound side of I-10 near exit 57. The vehicle fell into a ravine, known as Cowpen Creek, estimated at 50 to 60 feet deep, according to officials with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Department and Mobile Fire and Rescue. Eastbound lanes were also closed to allow for emergency vehicles.

The bus had around 45 students who were returning to Houston, Texas, from a school spring break trip to Disney World in Florida, according to Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack. The students are part of the Channelview High School band. Around 12 to 20 people were injured, while the driver died in the crash. He was identified as Harry Caligone of Houston, Texas.

ALEA provides an update on a fatal charter bus crash that occurred Early Tuesday, March 13, on I-10 in Baldwin County, Ala., a few miles west of the Alabama-Florida line. Posted by al.com on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

There was also one critical and five serious injuries, according to Sheriff Mack. Other injuries are not serious. First responders are reported to have rappelled into the ravine, while students were carried and pulled out by deputies, according to Sheriff Mack. One student that spoke to an ABC news affiliate in Houston said that the band teacher was shouting on the bus before he felt a bump. He then felt "one huge bump then everything went black."

Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack told WTVM News 9 the band director has the most serious injuries. He was trapped in the wreckage for more than three hours.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Captain John Malone with said 46 people were transported to hospitals after the wreck with 26 victims taken to hospitals in Alabama and 20 to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, only eight victims remain hospitalized. Five are at Sacred Heart, 2 in serious condition and 3 in good condition. Two victims are in serious condition at Thomas Hospital in Fairhope. One victim is in stable condition at USA Medical Center in Mobile, Malone said.

Channelview Independent School District Superintendent Greg Ollis told ABC 13 News the students are "blessed" thier injuries aren't worse.

"It looks like all of our students and staff are going to be alright," Ollis said.

Around seven to eight medevac helicopters were used to transport students to 10 different hospitals in the region, including University of South Alabama Hospital. Therapy dogs have been dispatched to churches near to the crash site, where uninjured children are waiting for parents to arrive from Texas. Red Cross volunteer Edward McCall arrived with with 3 year-old golden doodle Tucker and 13 year-old chocolate retriever Atticus. "It soothes their mind and their heart," McCall said. "Just petting a dog makes a big difference."



Parents are expected to arrive at approximately 5 p.m.CST to collect children. The Coastal Church in Daphne is the main meeting point, where lead Pastor Chad Stafford said the children were "chilling out" while they waited. Stafford said that plenty of food had been provided, but a batch of cell phone chargers donated by Walmart had been "a big hit."

"They're typical teenagers, they're on their cell phones," he said.

Stafford said pastors had been speaking with the children about a variety of topics, but hadn't questioned them about their experience during the crash. "I think it's our role right now just to make them feel normal," he said.

As a side note, Stafford said he'd been surprised to learn from the group that their high school was the same one previously attended by University of Alabama Quarterback Jalen Hurts.



It's not yet know when the children will be able to depart, but Stafford said that unnamed benefactors had offered to provide hotel rooms if an overnight stay became necessary for some.

Some of the students involved in the crash were wary of traveling home in vehicles, Ollis told FOX 5 News.

"I will be honest with you. Some of the students we have talked to, the ones in Pensacola, they didn't want to ride back in a car and I understand and we are trying to work something out with the airlines," Ollis said.

A spokesperson for United Airlines told FOX 5 News the company is offering transportation to individuals and families impacted by the bus crash and are working directly with a representative at Channelview High School to accommodate travel requests for students and families.

The company that owns the tour bus, First Class Tours Inc., has been involved in four other crashes in the past two years, one of which was fatal, according to Associated Press reporting. No injuries were reported in the three other crashes. The fatal crash took play in May 2017 when one of the company's buses failed to yield right of way as it turned left. It struck a pedestrian.

First Class Tours sent a statement to AL.com Tuesday night that read:

A serious accident has taken place involving a First Class Tours bus in Alabama this morning. The bus was carrying a group of band students from Channelview High School who were returning home to Houston from Orlando.

Regrettably, the accident has taken the life of the driver of the bus, Harry Caligone. Harry was a long-time driver for our company and we are deeply saddened for this loss. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family.

It is our understanding that there are additional injuries as a result of the accident. Our prayers are with the injured and their families at this time. We pledge our assistance in cooperating with local authorities in the investigation.

Presently, this is all the information that we have to share. We will provide updates as additional information becomes available and it is appropriate to do so.

Chief Lovell of Loxley Fire Department said that there are around 60 first responders at the scene. His crew is helping with extraction, including using jaws of life. The last student was freed a little before 9 a.m. CST. The body of the person that was killed has yet to be freed, according to Mack.

In a seperate press conference, ALEA Captain John Malone confirmed that it was the driver of the bus that died. It's believed that the bus hit the bridge supports at the bottim of the ravine. However, ALEA is still investigating how the bus ended up in the ravine and how the driver died exactly.

Two large wreckers were put in place near the ravine at around 11 a.m. It's expected they will pull the bus out of the ravine. National Safety Transportation Board inspectors are expected to investigate the crash site.

The eastbound side of the interstate is shut down in the area. Drivers are being asked to avoid the interstate until noon.

The Alabama Department of Transportation said currently the detour starts at exit 44, but crews are working to move the detour to the Baldwin Beach Express exit 49. Regardless of which exit drivers use, everyone is asked to take Highway 90 east into Florida to avoid the area.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot invited people via Twitter to "join Cecilia & me in prayer and support for the Channelview students harmed by this bus crash."

Class president Miriam Hernandez told FOX 5 this has been a hard day for students at Channelview.

"We've had Hurricane Harvey and we've had this accident. And we've had accidents at school. It's been a hard year. I know we can get through it," Hernandez said.

Albama Governor Kay Ivey expresed similar sentimne to Abbot, expressing her "deepest sympathies" and said she will "continue to pray for and do all we can to assist those affected by this event."

"My team and I, including ALEA and EMA, have been and will continue to monitor this situation, and I have offered Governor Abbott any further assistance," she added. "I urge all Alabamians to remember how precious life is and to pray for those lost and injured in this incident."

Mike Burke, a spokesman at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, said about 20 patients had been brought to the hospital by ambulance and helicopter, "and more are on the way."

"We have multiple injuries; the bus went down into a ravine," said Chris Elliott, a Baldwin County commissioner who helped out at the county emergency management center following the crash. "The fire department and officers are having to rappel down into the area to get into it."



ALEA will be taking over the investigation, according to Sheriff Mack.



Family members looking to find out more information on the crash can call 251-972-6807.

Family members can also call Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for more information: 850-416-2694 or 850-416-2540.

AL.com journalist Lawrence Specker and The Associated Press contributed to this report.