Four people died and 12 others were critically injured when a charter bus and a popular sightseeing tour bus collided head-on Thursday on Seattle's Aurora Bridge.
Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold Scroggins said fire crews responded at approximately 11:13 a.m. local time to a four-vehicle traffic accident that included a charter bus and the Ride The Ducks of Seattle amphibious tour vehicle. A pickup truck and an SUV were also part of the collision.
Seattle Police Department Public Information Officer Lauren Lovanhill confirmed the fatality count Thursday afternoon, and said 12 passengers were still listed in critical condition. Thirty-two others were being treated at various area hospitals with minor to serious injuries, she said.
Brad Volm, who was driving behind the duck boat before the crash, told The Associated Press the charter bus and duck boat were headed in opposite directions when the tour boat swerved in front of him -- and into the oncoming charter bus.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was looking into the incident.
Melissa Mixon, the communications director for North Seattle College, said that approximately 45 students and employees with the school's international program were traveling on the charter bus during the crash.
"School starts on Monday, so this is usually a really happy time on campus,” Mixon said. “This is just incredibly sad."
President Warren Brown of North Seattle College confirmed in a statement late Thursday that the four killed were NSC students. The international students on the charter bus were from at least “four or five different countries” whose consulates were being notified, Lovanhill said.
The four students hailed from Austria, China, Indonesia and Japan, North Seattle College said Friday. The community college said it was still working with consular offices to contact the deceased's next of kin and would not immediately be releasing the students' identities out of respect for their families.
"Our immediate concern right now is to ensure that our students and employees receive the support they need. Because of that, we will have counselors, multilingual staff and faith-based professionals onsite for as long as is needed," Brown said on Thursday.
Brown noted that those who wish to help can donate blood to the local blood bank, Bloodworks Northwest.
"Today's accident has strained blood supplies, and Bloodworks Northwest has issued an urgent appeal for blood donations," Brown said.
Raw video from the crash site showed the wreckage and emergency workers on the scene. The fire chief said the response included 90 firefighters, 11 engines, seven ladders and eight paramedic units.
"Exactly what happened, when it happened, how it happened -- a lot of that is going to come out later," Stangl said Thursday afternoon.
In a Thursday statement expressing condolences to the victims and their families, the Ride The Ducks corporate office maintained that the safety of its passengers and the public is company's "highest priority."
"At this time, authorities are handling the specific details and our company is fully cooperating with all investigating agencies to uncover the cause of the incident," the company said.
In July, a Ride The Ducks vehicle hit a pedestrian crossing the street against the light, the Seattle Times reports. The company was also involved in two other collisions between 2010 and 2011, and was sued in 2011 by a motorcyclist who said a Ride The Ducks bus ran him over and dragged him as he was stopped at a red light.
