8 Dead, Dozens Injured in Texas Bus Crash

— -- A charter bus heading to a Texas casino crashed Saturday, leaving eight people dead and injuring at least 44 more, officials said.

The bus was carrying 50 people to the Kickapoo Casino in Eagle Pass, traveling north on Highway 83 just before 11:30 a.m when it suffered a rollover crash.

Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, while another died after being taken to a hospital, Webb County Texas spokesman Larry Sanchez said.

Of the injured, 22 were taken to Doctor's Hospital in Laredo, 15 to Laredo Medical Center and seven to a hospital in in Carrizo Springs, in Dimmit County, he said.

The Webb County Volunteer Fire Department along with two units from the City of Laredo responded to the call, and three ambulance units from Angel Care were also on the scene, Sanchez said.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Conrad Hein told The Associated Press that the driver, who was among the survivors, lost control of the bus and it rolled over.

"Everything's real preliminary right now," he said.

It was raining Saturday morning, but it was not clear whether that was a factor in the crash, Hein told the AP.

"Our troopers are going to look into what happened but it's going to take us some time," he said. "We just know the driver lost control."

The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday night it was sending a team to investigate the wreck. They were expected to arrive Sunday.