The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Saturday it will investigate a crash of a Freightliner box truck and a bus that killed six in Louisville, N.Y.
The crash around 6:02 a.m. Saturday State Highway 37 in the city near the Canadian border also resulted in three serious and critical injuries and they were transported to a local hospital, New York State police said. The NTSB said it is launching a six-member team to investigate the crash.
As many as 15 people were aboard the bus that was travelling on State Highway 37 near the town of Louisville. TV station WWNY quoted officials as calling the scene “gruesome.”
Photos from the station showed banks of foot-high snow on the side of the highway. The station said there might have been reduced visibility when the accident happened at about 6 a.m. Officials told the station that the cargo truck was fully loaded.
The photos of the damaged vehicle showed that the bus appeared to be affiliated with the solar energy company LBFNY, based in central New York. The company name and its logo were visible on the truck.
The freight car, which had a sole occupant, was a Penske truck rental.
Both vehicles suffered extensive damage, and might have crashed head-on, according to the photos.
State Police provided few details on the cause of the accident and said they were continuing to investigate.