Eight killed in bus crash on Florida roadway

Eight people are dead after a bus carrying dozens of farm workers in Florida crashed on Tuesday morning, according to state highway patrol.

Another eight people are in critical condition and 40 others are in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Florida officials said the bus was carrying around 53 farm workers on their way to Cannon Farms, a watermelon farm in Dunnellon.

The site of the accident, State Road 40 West, has been temporarily closed.

The collision involved a bus and a 2001 Ford Ranger truck, which "collided in a sideswiped manner", the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said in a statement.

The bus then drove through a fence and overturned, according to the statement.

A school bus spotted near the scene was used to transport some people to hospital, local media reported.

Marion County Fire Rescue confirmed in a statement that a school bus was not involved in the collision.

The owner of the private company was also reportedly aboard the bus and sent to the hospital after the crash.

The accident occurred in Dunnellon, roughly 45 miles (72km) south of the state's capitol, Gainesville, at approximately 06:35 EST (11:35 BST).

The cause of the collision remains unknown.

Officials said the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.

"We will be closed today out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp," Cannon Farms wrote on its Facebook page.

"Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident."

This is a developing story.