The single fatality was the driver of the bus, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The vehicle hit the median, crossed to the wrong side of the highway and careered down a steep slope, ending up overturned about 50 feet down the ravine and underneath a bridge, authorities said.

In addition to the fatality, one person was critically injured and five others were listed in serious condition, Baldwin County Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack told reporters at a press conference.

Rescue workers used ropes to rappel down from the roadway to the crash site and several passengers had to be cut free from the wreckage, he said.

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At least 37 of the 49 people on the vehicle, mostly teenagers, were treated for injuries, The Associated Press reported.