Train Hits Tour Bus in Mississippi Killing 4 People

A fourth person has died after a freight train hit a tour bus in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Fire Chief Joe Boney says three people died before they could be taken to hospitals, while a fourth person died after being taken from the scene. Boney say 35 passengers were taken to area hospitals. He says emergency workers had to cut through the bus wreckage to remove two people. Officials have not yet released the names of the dead, but say that the 46 people on the bus had come to the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Austin, Texas, to visit a casino.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson says the agency is aware of the crash and deciding whether to investigate. The bus remains on the tracks and Biloxi Police Chief John Miller says it won't be removed until investigators are finished examining the scene.

At a news conference, Biloxi Police Chief John Miller described the crash as a "terrible, chaotic scene". He says 35 people have been hospitalized.

A total of 46 passengers were on the bus when the crash happened, according to Miller.

Ameet Patel, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations for Penn National Gaming, owner of Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino and Boomtown Biloxi Casino, said in a statement to WLOX-TV the bus was traveling from Hollywood in Bay St. Louis to Boomtown in Biloxi.

"It is with deep regret and sympathy that we can confirm the private charter bus that collided with a train this afternoon in Biloxi was transporting patrons from our Hollywood Gulf Coast Casino in Bay St. Louis to our Boomtown Biloxi Casino approximately 45 miles away," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who tragically lost their lives and all those affected by this accident. As this is an ongoing law enforcement matter, we are withholding any further comment and are referring all calls to the Biloxi Police Department, with whom we are cooperating fully on their investigation."