At least 10 killed when prison bus strikes train in Texas

PENWELL, Texas (AP) — Eight inmates and two corrections officers died today when a prison bus skidded off an icy West Texas highway, slid down an embankment and collided with a passing freight train, authorities said.

The overpass on Interstate 20 was slick with ice this morning when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice bus left the roadway in Penwell, just west of Odessa, according to Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson.

An earlier accident on the I-20 overpass may have contributed to the prison bus losing control, Donaldson said.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed the 10 deaths in a statement, adding that four other prisoners and one corrections officer were injured.

Tiffany Harston, spokeswoman for Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, said four of the injured are in critical condition and one in serious condition.