A tire failure caused a charter bus crash that killed four people and injured dozens from a South Carolina football squad and closed U.S. Route 74/Interstate 74 in Richmond County on Saturday, according to officials and media reports.The crash happened around 2:35 p.m. on the U.S. 74 bypass near I-74/exit 316, according to Lt. Jeff Gordon of the N.C. State Highway Patrol.
CBS North Carolina confirmed that four people died in the wreck while 42 people were taken to various hospitals.
The crash happened when the left side front tire on the bus failed in a blowout, the N.C. State Highway Patrol told CBS North Carolina.
The charter bus was carrying a group of college students from the Rock Hill, South Carolina area who were playing for a football team called Ramah Jucco Academy, according to Jim Terry, who works recruiting players for an opposing team called University of God’s Chosen in Raeford.