Knoxville School Bus Crash - It was a tragic afternoon when the buses taking the kids home collided that brought three fatalities including two young girls and an adult on Tuesday.
The disastrous collision happened around 2:50 p.m. ET on Asheville Highway at John Sevier Highway when buses from the Chilhowee Intermediate and Sunnyview Primary schools crashed.
The Knoxville school bus crash incident brought numbers of vehicles stranded in the Asheville Highway on Tuesday afternoon. The passengers on the school buses involved in the collision were students from kindergarten to fifth grade, NBC News reports.
Knoxville authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the fatalities but they reported that one adult who was a teacher's aide and two children were killed. There were also more than 20 other passengers who were injured in the incident.
All the victims in the Knoxville school bus crash were from the same bus that over turned while the other bus that made a sharp left turn, slide into the median and collided on one side.
20 children were rushed to East Tennessee Children's Hospital for treatment while three badly wounded and four other involved in the Knoxville school bus crash accident were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
The three gravely injured children who were taken to East Tennessee Children's Hospital are now out-of-danger.
Sunnyview Primary School bus service carries children from kindergarten through second grade while the Chilhowee Intermediate School bus serves third through fifth grade, according to Yahoo News.
The National Transportation Safety Board will assist the Knoxville police in the investigation of the Knoxville school bus crash accident. Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch who called the parents of one of the dead children asked for prayers for the loss lives.
The fatal bus crash left the Knoxville community stunned and weeping for the loss souls of the young children and one teacher aide.
Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre fought back tears while speaking at the news conference. "We lost some members of our schools family, some of our youngest children." He added they strive very hard to prevent accident like the Knoxville school bus crash from taking place.
The cause of the Knoxville school bus crash accident was not yet confirmed, but there were reported rain showers at the area on Tuesday afternoon. Members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol were also present to investigate the causes of the collision.
Knox County School officials declared both schools will be closed Wednesday. They also announced that counselors will be present from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to console students and parents.
There will also be a planned candlelight vigil for the victims of the Knoxville school bus crash on Wednesday night at the Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville at 7 p.m.