At least one dead and multiple injured in New York school bus crash

At least one person has died and several others have been badly injured in a school bus crash in New York.

Up to 45 people have been injured in the crash, near the town of Wawayanda two hours north of New York City, an Orange County official told US media.

The charter bus was taking pupils from Long Island to a band camp when it ran off the road and tumbled into a ditch.

According to local media, five of those injured have been taken to hospital in critical condition.

The crash occurred around 13:30 local time (18:30GMT) on Interstate 84. Police have closed the highway to allow workers to respond to the crash scene.

The bus was one of six that was chartered to take some 300 pupils from the Farmingdale High School marching band to a music camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania.

Photos show the bus on its side with broken windows and a ladder raised up to help rescue people trapped inside.

"Our hearts are with all who are impacted by this horrific situation," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

"At my direction, personnel from the New York State Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services are onsite to assist local emergency response teams," the governor said.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said that most of the 45 people on the damaged bus were children.

He told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that five of the injured were badly hurt.

CBS reports that most of the students on the bus were around 14 or 15 years old.

The cause of the accident is under investigation by New York State Police.

A family reunification centre has been set up at the Orange County Community College.

The camp was due to run from Thursday to Sunday.

The uninjured students are expected to return home later on Thursday.