TWO DIE AS FLORIDA SCHOOL BUS OVERTURNS IN MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH

A secondary school student and one other person died after a crash caused a school bus to flip onto its roof in Winter Haven, central Florida, early on Monday, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. The crash, which happened at around 6.13am local time, involved three vehicles. About 26 of the students on board were taken to hospital, according to the sheriff's office. The bus had 39 occupants in total: 37 secondary school students, the driver and the driver's daughter, officials said. The student who died was named by Polk County Public Schools as a 10th grader at Winter Haven Secondary school.

Officials said at a news conference that the bus had been travelling properly in its lane when a white Chevrolet Malibu crossed the centre line "for unknown reasons" and struck the bus's rear wheels, causing it to lose traction and tearing off one of its tyres. The bus then crossed into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a silver Jeep, authorities said. The second fatality was described by officials as an occupant of one of the other two vehicles involved. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described it as "a horrible crash" and "a terrible, tragic morning". Winter Haven Secondary school said in a statement that the news was "devastating" for the school and the wider community.

According to the National Safety Council, 110 deaths were linked to school bus crashes in 2024, a fall of 14% from 128 in 2023. Data covering a nine-year period from 2015 suggested about 71% of school bus-related crash deaths involved occupants of other vehicles, while 15% involved pedestrians. Passengers accounted for 6% of deaths recorded in such crashes over that period, according to the council's figures. Authorities have not stated what, if any, further action will follow the crash.