Florida bus crash kills eight, leaves eight in critical condition

A bus carrying farm laborers in northern Florida collided with a pickup truck on Tuesday and overturned, killing at least eight people and critically injuring eight others, authorities said. The workers were headed to pick melons at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, a small farming community about an hour's drive south of Gainesville, when the bus overturned. Marion County Fire & Rescue units were dispatched to the scene just after 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 GMT), the department said in a Facebook post.

"Today, we faced a tragic incident on West Highway 40 in Ocala with a devastating bus wreck," wrote Marion Fire Chief James Banta in the post. The bus crashed through a fence and overturned after side-swiping a pickup truck and careening off the roadway, Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Steve Gaskins said in a statement.

Cannon Farms, which operates a commercial farm, said on Facebook that it will be closed on Tuesday "out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident." Cannon said the accident "took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp," but a representative could not be reached immediately to clarify. It is unclear whether Olvera owns the bus or hired the workers.

"Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident," Cannon said. "We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time." A total of 53 people were on the bus at the time of the accident. The other 37 passengers were transported to hospitals for minor injuries, said James Lucas, the public information officer for Marion County Fire Rescue.