Biloxi, MS : Four people dead as train collides with bus in a coastal Mississippi city on Tuesday, March 7, 2017

At least four people were killed as a freight train smashed into a charter bus in a coastal Mississippi city on Tuesday, pushing the bus 300 feet down the tracks, authorities said.

Biloxi Police Chief John Miller said passengers on the Echo Transportation bus had come from Austin, Texas, carrying passengers to one of Biloxi's eight casinos.

Ameet Patel, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St Louis and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said the bus was travelling from the Hollywood casino to the Boomtown casino at the time of the crash.

"It's a terrible tragedy," Miller said. "I know there's a lot of families that are going to be impacted here."

There were conflicting reports of the number killed in the crash. Officials initially said four people died and then revised it down to three.

But Vincent Creel, a spokesman for the city of Biloxi, later said after consulting with the coroner's office that four were killed.

The names of the dead have not been released.

Michelle Crowley of the Biloxi fire department said 40 people were injured; of those, seven were in critical condition.

Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Marc Willis said the agency is sending three inspectors to investigate, while Mississippi is sending one.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is also investigating, according to AP.

Source :
Four die in Mississippi train-bus collision