13 dead after church bus and truck crash in Texas

Thirteen people were dead and two others were injured after a pickup truck veered into a church van carrying senior citizens Wednesday afternoon in Texas, authorities said. The driver of the pickup truck survived and was airlifted to a San Antonio hospital after the crash, which occurred about 12:23 p.m. (1:23 p.m. ET) near Garner State Park in Concan, Sgt. Conrad Hein of the state Department of Public Safety told NBC News.  The agency told NBC News that the van and the Dodge pickup were the only vehicles involved. All of the dead were from the bus, including its driver, as was the other injured person, authorities said.  Conditions and identities of none of the victims were made public Wednesday night.  The pickup truck was traveling northbound, and the church bus was traveling southbound, officials said.

Authorities were still investigating what led to the crash on Wednesday night. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would also investigate.  First Baptist New Braunfels Church said in a statement on Facebook that a "group of our senior adults" were returning home from a three-day retreat when they were involved in the crash. The church said counselors would be on hand Thursday and asked for prayers for the church family.  Church administrator Norm Hills told NBC News that the church had very little information and was "anxiously awaiting calls from DPS."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expressed his condolences in a statement on Twitter, saying, "We are saddened by the loss of life and our hearts go out to all those affected."