A Florida farm worker bus crash kills 8 and injures 45, emergency officials say

Emergency officials reported on Tuesday that a bus carrying farm laborers had crashed on a state highway in north-central Florida, leaving eight people dead and forty-five injured.

Around 6:35 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol reported that a 2010 International Bus carrying "approximately 53 farm workers" and a 2001 Ford Ranger collided head-on. After that, the bus veered off the road, crashed through a fence, and overturned.

According to James Lucas of Marion County Fire Rescue, there were eight fatalities at the scene and 45 injuries that were transported to hospitals, eight of which were in critical condition.

Lt. Patrick Riordan of the Florida Highway Patrol stated during a press conference that authorities expect more fatalities and that some of the injured, including the driver of the Ford pickup truck, are in "very serious condition."

We are currently working on a large-scale investigation into traffic homicides. We have a full team—and then some—present at the location, according to Riordan. “I can tell you that it’s going to be probably six months, at least, before we conclude, factually, what transpired here today.”