2 dead after bus crash at Fla. airport; 3 critical

[Musky]

MIAMI (AP) — A charter bus carrying 32 members of a church group hit a concrete overpass at Miami International Airport after the driver got lost Saturday, killing two elderly people on board and leaving three others critically injured, officials said.

The large, white bus was too tall for the 8-foot-6-inch entrance to the arrivals area, said airport spokesman Greg Chin. Buses are supposed to go through the departures area, which has a higher ceiling, he said.

Chin said passengers told him they were part of a group of Jehovah's Witnesses headed to West Palm Beach. Police said in a news release that the group had chartered the bus to take them to a church convention there.

The group was made up of congregation members of Sweetwater's Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, said Sweetwater Mayor Manny Maroño.

"This is a tragic accident that has affected many families, as well as, our Sweewater family," Maroño said in a press release. "I am pursuing all avenues to get in touch with the appropriate persons to officially extend our help to the congregation and those who were hurt."

Read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/2-dead-bus-crash-fla-airport-3-critical-163719309.html

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/121201/miami-airport-bus-crash-kills-2-injures-2-dozen-

[Rosalie4u]

I just saw this on the 6:30 news (EST) and just KNEW it was a bus carrying Jehovah's Witnesses to a circuit assembly even though they did not say JW on the news - I saw them taking friends out of the bus and the way they were dressed just "told" me. Then I did a Google search about it and saw that it was indeed the friends. Sad, sad - they are not saying why this bus driver did not pay attention to the signs, but he survived. This scares me because I normally ride the bus for our District Convention and many times for the Circuit Assemblies.

[JSellenger]

This is very sad. A close friend of mine is an elder in this hall, and I spoke with him earlier, briefly. The brothers are doing what they can to help and comfort the friends during this tragedy.

[jackmbd]

May the God of all comfort be with them during this time of distress. I, too, knew as soon as I saw the photo, that it was our brothers. Thank Jehovah for the hope of the resurrection.

[rocket]

From jw.org News Headlines

Fatal Bus Crash in Miami

DECEMBER 3, 2012 | UNITED STATES

On Saturday, December 1, 2012, a group of 32 of Jehovah’s Witnesses was traveling on a chartered bus to West Palm Beach, Florida for a two-day Bible education seminar when the bus crashed into an overpass at Miami International Airport at 7:25 a.m. Two Witnesses were killed and four others are in critical condition. Police reports indicate that the driver of the bus, who is not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, “mistakenly entered the airport” while heading to West Palm Beach. J. R. Brown, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, states: “We now draw on our spiritual family for Bible-based comfort.”

Source

[LoneWanderer]

Very sad news, indeed, but good the know the organization are increasingly using the News section on jw.org to keep us updated. That's a source of information I'd trust much more than any random, secular news sites = compare with the news that was circulated also here a while ago that a big group of Witnesses would have been killed in another accent in Nigeria.

jw-media.org didn't use to get this regular updates. The only thing now missing on jw.org News IMHO, is update on the situations of our brothers in Eritrea. Perhaps it will take some time to get the information confirmed.

Reminds me of this: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/302011018#p11

(*** yb11 pp. 9-10 Highlights of the Past Year ***

‘TRACING ALL THINGS WITH ACCURACY’)

[Jahmyrock125]

Hy, im back from yet another computer problem, on saturday AFTERNOON I was grocery shopping with my husband and a elderly sister ,when I SAW A SISTER THAT i had not seen in many years , and told me that one of the sisters in the accident,was a friend of mine at another congregation many years ago,and that her daughter had died last year,I became very agitated and crying ,I WENT TO SEE HER YESTERDAY ,her head is badly swollen,cervical fracture her sister told me also that she never loss conciousnes.in fact she phone her to let her know that she had been in this accident,unfortunately another sister elderly die last night,i will say more later.all we can do is pray

[countrykaren]

OH how sad!.. i feel so sorry for them.. it was to be an encouraging time and alas sadness ..

My prayers and thoughts are with those suffereing agape:squeeze: