Collision with Church Bus, Pickup Leaves 13 Dead in TX

Thirteen people have been killed as the result of a collision near Garner State Park, west of San Antonio, involving a large van ferrying New Braunfels church members back from a choir retreat.

The accident occurred about 2 p.m. Wednesday when the van of seniors from First Baptist New Braunfels collided head-on with a Dodge pickup on Highway 83 in Uvalde County, MySanAntonio.com reported.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Juan G. Hernandez told the news site that 12 people perished in the accident. Three others were hospitalized, one of whom later died, according to Rio Grande Valley's KRGV-TV.

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One victim is at San Antonio Military Medical Center in critical condition, San Antonio's KSAT-TV reported. The driver of the truck also remains hospitalized.

Hernandez said 14 people were in the van, which was returning from Alto Frio Baptist Camp and Conference Center in the Hill Country town of Leakey. The northbound truck, carrying only the driver, veered into the oncoming lane and struck the southbound van, he said.

"We are saddened by the loss of life and our hearts go out to all those affected," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a written statement.

According to KSAT-TV, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.

The accident, about 75 miles west of San Antonio, prompted authorities to close all lanes of Highway 83 between the park and Texas Highway 127 in Concan, the station reported.

Pastor Brad McLean of First Baptist New Braunfels said the church's evening activities would be canceled.

"We just want to be, obviously, thoughtful of the families," he told MySanAntonio.com.

A statement issued by First Baptist on the church's Facebook page said the group was on its way back to New Braunfels after a three-day retreat at the encampment.

"We are ministering to family members to help them deal with this tragedy," it read.

The church said counselors would be on hand at the church Thursday.

According to the Uvalde Leader-News, an area resident traveling behind one of the vehicles had called law enforcement in Uvalde and Real counties to report reckless driving shortly before the accident.

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