8 dead, at least 40 injured as farm workers bus overturns in central Florida | KTAB

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A bus carrying farm workers in Central Florida overturned Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.

The bus was carrying 53 farm workers when it collided with a truck in Marion County north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to authorities, the bus veered off State Road 40, a straight but somewhat hilly two-lane road that runs through farms. It crashed through a fence and landed on its side in a field. The workers were transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, where watermelons were being harvested.

There is no immediate evidence that weather played a role.

“In consideration of the losses and injuries we sustained in the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp. accident this morning. “We will remain closed today,” Cannon Farms announced on its Facebook page. “Please join us in praying for the families and loved ones involved in this tragic accident. We thank you for your understanding during this difficult time.”

Cannon Farms describes itself as a family-owned commercial farm that has farmed its land for more than 100 years and now focuses on peanuts and watermelons, which it supplies to grocery stores across the United States and Canada.