At Least 9 Children and Driver Injured After Bus Crashes and Rolls Over on First Day Back to School in Texas

NEED TO KNOW

• At least nine children and the driver of a school bus have been injured after it crashed and rolled over in Texas

• The incident took place in Austin on Wednesday, Aug. 13

• Students were traveling home from their first day of school when the crash occurred, according to reports

Multiple children have been left injured after a school bus carrying over 40 students crashed in Austin, Texas.

On Wednesday, Aug. 13, the Travis County Emergency Services District revealed in a press release that a Leander Independent School District bus had been carrying 43 individuals when it rolled over on Nameless Road near Honeycomb Lane.

The incident took place on the first day of the new school year at around 3:00 p.m, according to ABC News and NBC News.

The release confirmed that nine students and the bus driver had been transported to local medical facilities for evaluation and treatment, while a reunification center was set up at Round Mountain Church for the remaining 33 students to be "safely reunited with their families.”

A total of 12 people are reported to be injured, according to ABC News.

The emergency services district then thanked the agencies that assisted, which included Leander Fire Department, Cedar Park Fire Department, Pflugerville Fire (Travis County ESD 2), Austin-Travis County EMS and STAR Flight.

Of the injured, one patient's injuries are described as life-threatening while two other's are potentially life-threatening, per ABC News and NBC News.

The remaining injured people are reported to have non life-threatening injuries.

PEOPLE has contacted the Travis County Emergency Services Department and the Leander Independent School District for further comment.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

An official with the Texas Department of Public Safety told press that the bus drove to the right before rolling over, per NBC News. There was reportedly a slight curve in the road.

In pictures shared by Travis County Emergency Services District, the bus was seen damaged as it lay on its side while surrounded by trees.

Superintendent of the Leander Independent School District, Bruce Gearing, told ABC News that the bus driver was well experienced, adding that the bus would mainly carry elementary school students.

“This part of our Leander ISD family has been through so much already this summer with the floods and this tragedy this afternoon is really breaking our hearts,” he told the outlet. “We want each of those students and their families to know that our prayers are with them, our thoughts are with them, and we will do everything that we can in our power to support them.”

Read the original article on People