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3 dead after charter bus crashes in Pennsylvania, police say

First responders at scene of bus crash in Lower Paxton Township, Pa.
Police and rescue workers arrive at the scene of a deadly bus crash late Sunday in Lower Paxton Township, Pa.
(Pennsylvania State Police)
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A charter bus carrying up to 50 people collided with a vehicle on an interstate in Pennsylvania, killing three people, state police said.

The crash happened during heavy rain about 11:50 p.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 81 in Dauphin County’s Lower Paxton Township, near the capital of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Police said.

The bus drove off the roadway, struck an embankment and rolled onto its right side before hitting the back of a car that was stopped in the right lane of traffic, according to a crash report.

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“Three passengers were declared deceased on scene,” the police report said, with others suffering injuries ranging from minor to severe.

Names were not released.

Firefighters were battling a small fire in the Cabazon area when two helicopters collided, one of which plunged to earth. The other landed safely.

“This is considered a mass casualty incident,” Trooper Megan Frazer said. “We do have eight ambulances that assisted with us, as well as lifeline [emergency response], just because of how many people were involved and the amount of injuries.”

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center received 28 patients from the crash, spokesperson Scott Gilbert said in an email. As of Monday morning, two were admitted as inpatients, 16 were being treated in the emergency department and 10 were discharged. He said the hospital was told several other people were taken to another hospital.

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