WMC-TV: News, Weather, Traffic, Radar, and Sports for Memphis, TN; WMCTV.com | Three dead in Tunica casino bus crash
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TUNICA, MS (WMC-TV) - Three people died when a bus overturned early Sunday morning at the intersection of Highway 61 and Casino Strip Boulevard near Tunica, Mississippi.
Three people died in the accident, which happened at 10:16am, according Tunica County spokesperson Larry Liddell.
Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Leslie White said just past the intersection of Highway 61 and Casino Strip Boulevard, the bus turned 180 degrees and flipped on its side into the median.
Liddell said 43 people - including the driver - were on the bus, which originated from Harrah's Casino.
Action News 5 photojournalist Gabe Houston reported seeing at least seven medical helicopters on the ground when he arrived at the accident scene, waiting to take injured passengers to nearby hospitals.
Twenty-seven victims were taken to Baptist DeSoto Hospital in Southaven, Mississippi. Hospital spokesperson Dr. Stanley Thompson said of those people, one was listed in critical condition, was being operated on, and five were expected to stay overnight. The rest of the victims there were in non-critical condition.
"We have our disaster plan, we initiated it, (and) it looks like it went well," Thompson said, adding the crash is the largest disaster the hospital has handled in at least five years.
At the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, two victims were listed in fair condition and two were listed in critical condition. Other victims were taken to Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis.
According to Liddell, most of the people on the bus were from South Carolina. The bus was traveling to the airport.
The highway re-opened to traffic early Sunday afternoon.
A spokesperson at Harrah's Casino said family members should call 1-800-946-4946 for information about people involved in the accident.
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