2 dead after church charter bus coming from Colorado conference crashes

The bus was carrying 10 children and five adults, according to Colorado State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Blake White. The group was returning to New Mexico from Denver when the bus apparently hit an embankment under a bridge, White told reporters Sunday afternoon. The crash took place near Pueblo, Colorado, about 45 miles south of Colorado Springs.

Pueblo Fire Chief Brian Caserta said that when emergency crews arrived, only five people remained on the bus and had to be extricated.

"The stability of the bus was in question, so crews had to work cautiously," he said.

Two people were declared dead at the scene, said Mike Lening, operations manager with American Medical Response paramedics.

Twelve people were taken to area hospitals in Pueblo and one person was flown to Colorado Springs, Lening said.

Injuries ranged from minor to critical, White said.

White said no information on the two dead victims will be released until notification to their next of kin, and that authorities are not releasing the name of the church.

CNN's Hollie Silverman and Dylan Miettinen contributed to this report.

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