2 dead, 44 hurt in bus crash on icy highway near Memphis

BYHALIA, MISSISSIPPI >> A tour bus overturned Wednesday on an icy highway near Memphis, leaving two people dead and 44 others aboard with injuries as a pre-winter storm blasted parts of the South, authorities said.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said in a statement that the bus traveling from Huntsville, Alabama, to the Tunica area of Mississippi when it crashed at 12:35 p.m. on Interstate 269 in the northern part of the state. A statement from agency spokesman Capt. Johnny Poulos also said the crash “weather-related.” He didn’t elaborate, though he said the injured were taken to several hospitals with varying injuries.

The bus was operated by Teague VIP Express, located in Anniston, Alabama. The company posted a message on its Facebook page that said: “Our hearts and prayers go out to victims of this tragedy. Please keep everyone involved and families in your prayers.”

The red tour bus with white and gray stripes was being towed later Wednesday from the crash site. The bus windows appeared mostly missing or shattered and a smell of gasoline hung in the air. Large scratches and other damage were visible on the driver’s side as workers cleared the highway of debris.

The company has only three buses and three drivers, according to licensing information from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and it hasn’t had any crashes in the last two years.

A hospital spokeswoman, Ayoka Pond, said 19 passengers were transported from the crash site near Byhalia to Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven, Mississippi, and three of them were in serious condition there. She said seven others were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville in that Tennessee suburb of Memphis.

An additional 18 passengers were taken to Methodist Hospital Olive Branch in that Mississippi city, said