Highway Crash Splits Bus in Half; 4 Dead

GENESEO, N.Y. – A charter bus carrying members of a Canadian junior hockey team collided with a tractor-trailer in western New York on Saturday, splitting the bus in half, police said. Four people were killed.

The bus rear-ended the truck parked on the shoulder of Interstate 390 (search), about 27 miles south of Rochester.

The truck driver and three passengers on the bus were killed, said Mark O'Donnell, a spokesman for New York State Police (search).

The truck driver was outside his rig at the time of the crash and died instantly, O'Donnell said. None of the victims' identities were released.

The bus was carrying female players from the Windsor Wildcats (search) team, ranging in age from 17 to 20 years old, as well as the players' parents and coaches. The team played a game earlier Saturday and was on its way to a ski resort.

Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester admitted 19 patients with injuries ranging from minor to serious. A hospital spokeswoman said five would likely be admitted to intensive care.

"It was a horrible, horrible accident," witness Kim McKenzie told the Evening Tribune of Hornell. "All you could see was a torn-up bus and a banged-up truck."

Authorities closed the highway's southbound lanes after the crash and redirected traffic around the scene.