The driver of a charter bus transporting a Houston-area high school band was killed early Tuesday, March 13, when the bus crashed down a 50-foot ravine in Baldwin County, Alabama. 

The Channelview High School band was returning to its home in Channelview, Texas, following a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, when the crash occurred.

Several helicopters were used to transport victims of the crash to local hospitals. According to a CNN report, one patient remains in critical condition and several others are in serious condition.

Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola has received 18 patients as a result of the crash, according to its website.

The crash happened between Mobile, AL, and Pensacola, FL, and shut down Interstate 10 while rescuers spent several hours extracting passengers from the bus and out of the ravine.

"The bus came to rest on one side down in the ravine. Those had to either be brought up by ropes or rappelling individuals from the fire department during the rescue operation. Some were carried out by either deputies or other law enforcement," Baldwin County Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack said of the rescue efforts.

A call center has been set up for families wishing to get more information: Baldwin County Alabama Call Center, 251-972-6807.

"A charter bus transporting Channelview High School band students was involved in an accident on Interstate 10 in Alabama early this morning. At this time, details are limited," said Mark Kramer, a spokesman for Channelview Independent School District in unincorporated Harris County, Texas.