Five killed - including three children - in school bus crash in Illinois

Five people were killed, including three children, after a school bus and semi-truck collided on a highway in western Illinois.

The bus was traveling west on U.S. Route 24 at Parkview Road around 11:30 am Monday when it veered across the road and hit the truck head-on, Illinois State Police said. Both vehicles erupted into flames.

The crash occurred in Rushville, a small city about 60 miles outside Springfield. The bus driver, truck driver and all three students on the bus were pronounced dead at the scene.

State police confirmed that the three children and the driver were the only people on the bus at the time of the crash.

'There’s not really words at this time that can be said,' Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw said at a press conference. 'When you have a loss of life like this, it’s devastating.'

Five people were killed, including three children, following a head-on collision on an Illinois highway

Illinois State Police confirmed that the bus driver, truck driver and all three students on the bus were pronounced dead at the scene

A school bus carrying students from Schuyler-Industry Schools veered across the road and hit a semi-truck before noon on Monday

The crash occurred in Rushville, a small city roughly 60 miles outside Springfield

'When you have a loss of life like this, it’s devastating,' Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw said at a news conference

The students attended Schuyler-Industry Schools. The district posted a message to social media Monday afternoon.

'It is with a heavy heart that we announce our school community has lost both staff and students in the traffic incident involving one of our school buses this morning,' the statement read. 'Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and our community.'

School was cancelled through Wednesday, March 13. The district plans to offer counselors and support staff for students and teachers.

The victims' bodies were transported to Springfield Memorial Hospital for autopsies, according to Schuyler County Coroner Terry Millslagle. Their identities have yet to be confirmed.