Breaking: Tour bus crash in Austin
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Several people are reportedly dead in the crash of a tour bus on I-90 in Austin, Minnesota.
I'll post links and info as things emerge.
4:37 p.m. - KTCC TV in Austin reports two dead.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
4:39 p.m. - Pictures from the scene are coming from KAAL TV
It waas a bun from Strain Bus Line Motorcoach Tours, and it is a weekly bus that takes people from Rochester, Byron, Kasson and Blooming Prairie to Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa.
4:43 p.m. - Background. Federal Motor Coach Safety Administration gives Minnesota a "good" (highest) rating in inspections of buses.
4:47 p.m. - There were no fatalities on buses in 2008, according to the FMCSA, but that's incorrect. There was one in Albertville in the spring of 2008 when a bus carrying students back to Pelican Rapids from a band even in Chicago ran off the road on I-94.
Twenty-three people died in Minnesota in accidents involving buses in 2007. One of the more noteworthy crashes in this area was in Osseo, Wisconsin in 2005 when a tour bus hit a jacknifed trailer truck on I-94 (WCCO).
4:54 p.m. - MPR's Tim Nelson is heading for the scene and will provide overnight/morning coverage.
4:59 p.m. - Bus company's Web site.
5:02 p.m. - Additional photos posted on the Rochester Post Bulletin Web site. Most of the riders appeared to be elderly, the newspaper said.
5:05 p.m. - From MnDOT: I-90 in both directions: Road closed to traffic. Between Exit 166: Oakland Road and Exit 175: Oakland Avenue West (3 miles west of the Austin area). The road is closed to traffic. Look out for a serious accident.
5:11 p.m. - The topography of the crash area, courtesy of Google.
5:18 p.m. - Here's Tim Engstrom from the Albert Lea Tribune with MPR All Things Considered host Tom Crann:
5:27 p.m. - Photo above courtesy of KAAL TV
5:37 p.m. - Minnesota Department of Public Safety has confirmed two are dead in the crash.
5:56 p.m. - Shifting updates over to this page.
7:10 p.m. - The Rochester Post Bulletin has posted video here.
