At least six elementary school students were killed in a school bus crash Monday afternoon in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to the local district attorney.
Five children died at the scene of the crash and another died at a hospital, Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston said, according to multiple reports. Twenty-three people were taken to the hospital with injuries, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department.
The bus carried 35 Woodmore Elementary School students, ranging from kindergartners to fifth graders, according to The Tennessean. The bus hit a tree, according to the newspaper.
Photos from the fire department showed a school bus off the road and on its side, with its roof crunched by a stout tree. The department’s caption for one of the pictures called the wreck “very serious.”
The bus driver was cooperating with investigators, according to the Chattanooga Police Department.
“Please pray for the families of those affected by this horrible accident,” Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke tweeted.
UPDATE: Chattanooga Police have arrested the bus driver, 24-year-old Johnthony Walker, according to The Tennessean. He is being charged with five counts of vehicular homicide.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.