2 children, 1 adult killed when school buses collide in Tennessee

KNOXVILLE – Three people died and 23 were injured when two school buses collided on a highway in East Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday.

Two of the dead were children, while an adult aide was also killed.

Officials said that a school bus from Knoxville’s Chilhowee Intermediate Elementary School was traveling down Asheville Highway when it crossed a median and crashed into a bus carrying students from Sunnyview Primary School.

The latter bus fell onto its side and slid down the highway. The three dead were on the toppled bus.

Three people were hospitalized in stable condition, while another 20 were treated for minor injuries.

“We just ask the community to pray for the loss of life,” an emotional Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch told reporters. “It’s a horrible tragedy. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones.”

Knoxville County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre called the crash an “unspeakable tragedy.”

He said in a statement that both Chilhowee and Sunnyview schools would close Wednesday, though counselors would be available for students and their families.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.