The bus from Chicago crashed on Interstate 55 in
northeastern Arkansas, near Memphis, Tenn. Authorities believe it was headed to
Tunica, Miss., a popular destination for casino gambling, when the accident
happened about 5 a.m., state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.
An undetermined number of other passengers were injured and taken to
hospitals.
Thirty people were aboard the bus, which was the only vehicle involved in the
crash. Some of the dead were found crushed beneath the bus after wrecker crews
arrived to pull it upright, Sadler said.
Authorities on the scene had not determined a cause.
Witnesses and survivors told police the trip was uneventful, then "the next
thing we knew, we were off the road," Sadler said.
A light mist was falling at the time of the crash, but visibility did not
appear to be significantly limited, he said.
The bus was owned by Walters Charter and Tours of Chicago.
Company owner Roosevelt Walters said his wife was aboard the bus because she
had organized the trip for a group of friends, retirees and teachers.
He said his brother, Herbert Walters, was driving, but he had not heard from
either of them.
Walters said he inspected the vehicle, his only tour bus, on Friday and found
it to be in good mechanical shape.
The group left from his home Friday evening and had planned to spend the
weekend at a casino, then return to Chicago by Monday night.
The bus made the trip twice a year, and most of those in the group knew each
other. Walters said his stepson, his sister-in-law, a cousin and his neighbors
were also aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board planned to join the investigation.
The accident occurred about five miles from Marion, Ark., just outside
Memphis, Tenn.
