Traffic is backed up on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken, N.J., Wednesday, June 10, 2015. A New Jersey transit bus rear-ended a private bus injuring at least 18 people at around 9:30 a.m. in the center tube on the New York side of the tunnel connecting it with New Jersey, according to a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police.Joe Epstein/The Associated Press
A New Jersey transit bus rear-ended a tour bus carrying Canadian students inside the Lincoln Tunnel on Wednesday morning, injuring more than 30 people and slowing traffic on one of the busiest routes for commuters entering and leaving New York City, authorities said.
None of the 26 students and two adults from the Toronto school was hurt, according to Anna Caputo, spokeswoman for the Toronto District School Board. The group was heading to New York for a graduation trip, she said.
The crash happened in the centre tube on the New York side of the tunnel connecting it with New Jersey, said Joe Pentangelo, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police, which operates the tunnel.
The spokesman said 35 to 40 people on the transit bus were hurt. The four most seriously injured suffered neck and back injuries. The Fire Department of New York said none of the injuries are considered life-threatening.
A 32-year-old woman also went into labour while stuck in the tunnel. She was taken to a hospital.
The Port Authority says 42 million vehicles a year travel through the tunnel. The tunnel is comprised of three tubes built beneath the Hudson River