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Explosion, fire rip evacuee bus; 20 dead
07:41 AM CDT on Friday, September 23, 2005
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA-TV
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Cynthia Vega reports
WILMER -- An intercity passenger bus carrying evacuees from Hurricane Rita was destroyed by fire on Interstate 45 in Wilmer early Friday, killing an estimated 20 passengers and injuring a number of others.
A Dallas County Sheriff's Department spokesman said the bus had been carrying about 45 senior citizens from Bellaire, Texas, a Houston suburb.
One motorist told News 8 he saw what appeared to be an explosion before flames engulfed the bus.
Some of the elderly passengers had oxygen tanks with them, but it was not known whether this may have contributed to the fire, which engulfed the bus about 6:30 a.m. on the highway south of Dallas.
All northbound lanes of I-45 and its service road were shut down at Mars Road, leading to a backup of three to four miles.
The bus driver survived the fire and was talking with investigators.
I-45 has been a primary thoroughfare for Gulf Coast residents fleeing in advance of Hurricane Rita.
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