New Mexico passenger bus crash kills 3, sends 22 to hospital

BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) - A crash involving a passenger bus and three other vehicles on a highway in New Mexico early Sunday has killed three people and sent 22 to the hospital, authorities said.

Sandoval County Fire Chief James Maxon confirmed the deaths and said the crash occurred on Interstate 25 just north of Bernalillo, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) north of Albuquerque.

Maxon didn't immediately know what caused the collision involving a passenger bus, a semitruck, a pickup truck and a car.

A photo by Rio Rancho Fire Rescue shows the front of a mangled bus on its side surrounded by debris. It said emergency crews had to extricate several people who were trapped in the bus using a tool that pries open parts of a vehicle.

It was not immediately known whether the three who died were bus passengers. Maxon said 35 people were on the bus and emergency responders assessed 38 people at the scene.

It's also unclear if the bus involved was a tour bus and where it was coming from or headed.