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Bus Accident Update

Aired October 03, 2001 - 08:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are back now with some new information on that bus crash south of Nashville this morning. The FBI is now on the case.

Let's go to Kelli Arena to find out why -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, the FBI has actually taken over the investigation. It's actually the Knoxville field office has sent agents to the site. They are on their way right now.

Basically because buses travel interstate, and also because one FBI official said -- quote -- "that the current state of affairs," they are heading over and going to resume operations there.

The -- as you know, the Greyhound bus, we are told by Greyhound has confirmed this -- that all service has stopped. The driver's throat was slit on that, but at least 10 people were killed as a result of that incident.

We actually have the first pictures right now from the site, I am told, that they should be coming up momentarily. There you have it. We do have actually local authorities on the site, but as I said, FBI agents are on their way.

We don't know much more about the person who slit the driver's throat. We did get a phone call in to one of our affiliates who described the situation saying that the man was very tense, very nervous, kept asking what time it was, finally went over, slit the driver's throat, the driver turned the bus, it crashed. And there you have it.

But we don't exactly know what the motivation was -- that this was just simply a deranged person or someone who had a problem with that specific driver or something more.

And the FBI doesn't have any more information either. As I said, they are sending their agents out to the site, and as soon as we know something, Paula, we'll tell you.

ZAHN: All right. Thanks so much, Kelli. And Miles and I are going to continue to talk about this for a moment, and then share with you what we think we know at this point.

We can now confirm that at least 10 people were killed in this bus crash. I think in your last interview, the man from 911 also confirmed the fact that some 36 people were transported to hospitals.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty-two just to be precise.

ZAHN: Thirty-two?

O'BRIEN: He said on the order of 50 people on board that bus, and among those who are considered fatalities is the suspect, and apparently also the driver among those fatalities. So we have a number now of 10, which is a number we had reported earlier.

Anytime you're doing a story like this as it unfolds, there's going to be a little bit of confusion in the early -- at the outset.

ZAHN: I think Kelli made an important point, and it's one that you and I have talked about this morning about why the FBI would get involved. And we are told that the reason for that, and Kelli just confirmed it, is that because this involved travel on the interstate system.

O'BRIEN: Exactly. I mean, it's a combination, I think, probably of routine and not so routine, as we look at these pictures from our affiliate, WSMV, out of Nashville. It is an interstate bus line, after all. The trip was from Nashville to Atlanta, and thus the FBI would have some interest in this if a crime were committed.

Nevertheless, given the atmosphere in this country right now, all precautions are being taken, including the fact that as we told you, Greyhound has shut down service in the wake of this. They say as a precaution. They have not indicated there have been any other incidents on any other buses. So we're just going to have to leave that at that for now.

ZAHN: And I guess I was surprised to hear in your last interview that some 1,900 buses out of its 2,300 fleet were on the road at the time of this crash.

O'BRIEN: A lot of overnight travel on Greyhound, I guess.

ZAHN: Yes, because people aren't flying anymore?

O'BRIEN: Yes, apparently so.

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