A bus crash that took place early Friday in northern Texas claimed at least 12 deaths, according to a police spokesman cited by CNN.

The charter bus was going north on U.S. 75 when it ran off the highway overpass and crashed onto its side on a roadway below at about 12.45 a.m. CT, said Lt. Robert Fair, spokesman for the Sherman Police Department in Sherman, Texas, as reported by the same source.

The bus was traveling from Houston to a certain destination in Missouri with 55 people onboard when the accident occurred approximately 60 miles north of Dallas. Furthermore, ambulances and helicopters rushed to the scene in order to transport the injured passengers to the nearest hospitals, Lt. Robert Fair said.

A blown tire was found on the bridge, but investigators did not immediately ascertain its role in the clash. Moreover, police did not observe any markings on the vehicle, which was extensively damaged after landing near a creek bed, according to the same spokesman cited by CNN. In addition to this, he added that the bus resembled to a private charter.

Northbound traffic on the highway was closed in order to free the roadway and median for the ambulances and helicopters that transported the victims to hospitals.