Oklahoma school bus carrying softball team crashes and injures 8 people

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MINCO, Okla. (AP) — A school bus carrying softball team members crashed and ejected some passengers in Oklahoma, injuring eight people, the state highway patrol said.

The crash happened Monday night on U.S. Highway 152 near Minco in Grady County, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Oklahoma City.

Three adults and five juveniles were hurt and were taken to hospitals, Lt. Mark Southall of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said in a statement. One adult who was ejected from the bus remained in critical condition Tuesday morning, said OHP spokesperson Sarah Stewart. All of the students were in stable condition, including four who were thrown from the bus during the crash.

Southall said the scene was cleared around midnight and an investigation into what caused the crash continues. The patrol is working with the National Transportation Safety Board, he said.

School was closed Tuesday, Minco Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Sims posted online.

“Please keep these student-athletes, coaches and their families in your prayers,” he said.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma posted online that he and his wife, Cindy, “join all of Oklahoma in praying for our neighbors in Minco tonight.”

The Minco First Baptist Church in the town of about 1,500 people posted online that the church sanctuary was open “if you would like to come and pray.”

The softball team was scheduled to play at 6 p.m. Monday at the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Minco, according to school athletic schedules.