Students, drivers injured in school bus crash on Highway 63
UPDATE 9:35 p.m.: The Westphalia Fire Protection District chief confirmed seven to 10 high school students were on the bus at the time of the crash. He said three or four of the students were taken to a hospital. The chief said the bus was carrying members of the Belle High School girls soccer team.
UPDATE 8:40 p.m.: Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham confirmed a school bus and another vehicle collided head-on Friday night. The sheriff said the driver of the school bus and the driver of the other vehicle were flown to University Hospital in Columbia.
The sheriff said many of the students on the bus were taken to a hospital by ambulance. Four different ambulance services responded to the scene, authorities said.
ORIGINAL: A crash involving a school bus has shut down Highway 63 in both directions in Westphalia, according to the MoDOT map.
The wreck happened around 7:45 p.m near Maries Ave, according to MoDOT.
MSHP Troop F tweeted that the crash involved a school bus and a passenger vehicle and to expect delays.
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In its initial tweet, the patrol said initial reports are minor injuries on the bus. That tweet has since been removed from Troop F’s Twitter page.
The Osage County Sheriff’s Office also posted about the crash on Facebook, saying it would advise when the road reopens.
MoDOT estimated the closure would last two hours.
ABC 17 News has a crew headed to the scene.
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