(CNN)A school bus and a car collided Thursday in Las Vegas, injuring 16 students and killing the driver of the car, officials said.
Photos showed the bus on its side and a white car with a smashed front end. The wreck occurred about 8:30 a.m. local time; authorities have not said what caused it.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said 16 students were hurt. Earlier in the day, the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada said 13 of the wounded students had injuries not considered life-threatening and one student was critically injured.
The students range from ages 11 to 16, hospital official Danita Cohen said.
The Las Vegas Sun quoted students saying the wreck happened quickly and surprised the passengers.
“One minute everything was normal and, just like that, we were scared for our lives,” student Jonathan Blount said.”We thought we were going to die.”
“The bus just did a flip, and it happened really fast,” Karla Guerrero, 13, who was not hurt, told the Sun. “Kids, backpacks and dirt were everywhere. It was terrifying.”
The Clark County School District posted a message from Bailey Middle School’s principal on Twitter.
“We want to let you know that there was an accident this morning involving one of our school buses that was on its way to school,” the message read.
“Parents who have children on this bus will be contacted personally by the school once it has been determined who was on the bus. We appreciate your cooperation and patience with this matter and parents are encouraged not to go to the scene so appropriate emergency services can be provided.”
The school district said on Twitter that the driver of the car was the person killed.