1 Dead in Church Bus Crash

A bus carrying a church youth group from Louisiana to Georgia flipped Sunday on Interstate 20 in Mississippi. One person was killed and 27 injured in this accident.

Photo: 1 Dead in Church Bus Crash

The bus, from First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., rolled three times around 10:20 a.m. near Meridian and trapped at least two people underneath, Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler III said. Teenagers and adults were on board.

"It had a blowout," Cobler said.

At least two passengers were trapped underneath the bus. A group of National Guard soldiers was on the highway at the time and helped extricate the injured, The Associated Press reports.

An 18-year-old male passenger was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center. Three passengers were airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson – one from the accident scene and two from local hospitals.

The remaining passengers are being treated at local hospitals. There injuries ranged from severe pelvic, back, and chest injuries to scrapes and scratches, Cobler said.

Local congregants from First Baptist Church and Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church banned together to help in the aftermath of the deadly accident, The Meridian Star reports.

"Everyone is so heartbroken," member Marjorie Tanner said. Tanner learned about the accident during the evening service. "Tears are flowing. It's just so hard to believe. Those poor kids, my prayers are with the families," The Shreveport Times reports.