A high school student and another person have died after a school bus carrying 39 people was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in Winter Haven, Florida, United States.

The bus, carrying 37 students, its driver and the driver’s daughter, was heading towards Winter Haven High School shortly after 6 a.m. on Monday when the collision occurred. Several people were taken to hospital, with one reported to be in critical condition.

According to The Independent, authorities said the crash began when a car travelling in the opposite direction crossed the centre line and struck the school bus near its rear wheels. The impact caused the bus to lose a tyre before it collided with a Jeep, which caught fire.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the student who died was a 10th-grade girl, while the second fatality was a person inside the Jeep. He described the incident as one of the most serious school bus crashes the county had experienced in decades.

Emergency responders spent hours evacuating the victims, confirming their identities and helping reunite surviving students with their families. Authorities said between five and seven people were transported to hospital with potentially serious injuries.

The crash has drawn attention from local school officials, with Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid noting that students regularly receive training on emergency evacuation procedures. School board chairman Justin Sharpless also urged the community to support the bereaved family, students and staff affected by the tragedy.