School bus overturns near Houston, injuring 14

[September 24, 2016]  By Dan Whitcomb

(Reuters) - A school bus overturned in southeast Texas, on Friday, injuring more than a dozen students and the driver, the local sheriff and school district said.

The bus rolled over while carrying students from schools in Crosby, Texas, northeast of Houston, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.

"We can confirm there are multiple injuries reported -- we are not aware of the extent of injuries," the sheriff's office said in a second tweet.

Crosby Independent School District said in a post on its Facebook page that 14 people, including the driver, had been transported to local hospitals by ambulance.

Several hours later the school district said that the driver and all of the students had been released from the hospitals.

"We are so thankful to be able to report this good news after a very tense and frightening event," the school district said on Facebook. The ages or grades of the students were not released.

A Harris County Sheriff's deputy told local KHOU-TV that the injuries were largely "bumps and bruises."

Neighbors Emergency Center in Crosby declined to say how many students it had received from the crash.

KHOU reported that the bus driver told investigators she swerved to miss another vehicle and lost control.

The sheriff's office and the school district both said that contrary to initial reports there were no students trapped inside the overturned bus.

"Bus 213 was involved in a serious bus accident. Paramedics are on the scene of the accident and at this time there are no life-threatening injuries to report," Crosby Independent School District said on Facebook. "Students are currently being evaluated by medical personnel."

According to its website, the Crosby Independent School District serves a kindergarten, four elementary schools, a middle school and high school.

Crosby is a community of about 2,300 people some 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Houston

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Chris Reese, Sandra Maler and Sam Holmes)

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