New Jersey double-decker bus driver 'lost directional control,' struck truck; 2 dead, 3 seriously injured

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Aftermath of fatal bus accident on New Jersey Turnpike

Police in New Jersey are responding to an accident on the New Jersey turnpike, in which they say at least one person has been killed and multiple are injured after a bus flipped on its side.

A double-decker bus carrying 22 passengers overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike Tuesday evening when the driver "lost directional control of the bus" and struck a truck, leaving two people dead and three people seriously injured, the New Jersey State Police said. 

One passenger, identified as 59-year-old Cheryl Johnson from the Bronx, New York, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Another passenger, 66-year-old Cecilia Kiyanitza, was airlifted to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. 

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The bus driver and one other passenger also sustained serious injuries. The driver of the truck that was struck by the bus was uninjured. 

The crash happened shortly before 7 p.m. in the area of milepost 93.2 in Woodbridge Township, which is about 25 miles south of New York City. 

The bus overturned after striking a truck in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, on Tuesday evening.  (Fox 5 New York)

"After the impact, the bus went off the road to the right, struck the guardrail, and overturned onto the Thomas Edison Service Area entrance ramp," the New Jersey State Police said on Wednesday. 

Dozens of firefighters and emergency medical personnel could be seen treating passengers on the side of the highway next to the overturned bus. 

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New Jersey State Police said the crash remains under investigation. 

A spokesperson for Coach and Megabus did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, but said Tuesday evening that personnel were at the scene to assess what happened.