Diana Rocco reporting live
Updated 1 hr 1 min ago
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A bus driver died after two buses collided at North Broad Street and Raymond Boulevard in Newark Friday morning.
Nineteen other people are hurt. All the injured are passengers, with the exception of the other bus driver.
John del Giorno and NewsCopter 7 above the scene:
News Copter 7 and John del Giorno are live above the scene
The bus driver who died has not been identified but was described by the New Jersey Transit Police Department as a longtime employee.
Seven of the 19 are in critical condition. The rest have non-life threatening injuries, with nine described as walking wounded.
The New Jersey Transit buses ran into each other, likely at high speed, around 6 a.m. One of the buses was broken nearly in half. All passengers have been removed from the bus.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the cause of the accident is under investigation. "We have some preliminarily kind of data that says we suspect one of the bus drivers may have gone through a red light. We are not positive about that, but that is what is being said," he said.
He said the buses involved were a Route 59 bus and and a Route 13 bus.
Pictures from the scene:
Photos from the scene where 2 buses collided in Newark, New Jersey on Friday, August 19, 2016. (NewsCopter 7)
Traffic in the area was being diverted. Baraka urged commuters to stay away from the intersection. Officials were working to clear the street.
Victims were taken to University Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Michael's Hospital and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office will investigate the crash.
"We are praying for all the folks in the hospital that they get a speedy recovery from this tragic accident," said Baraka, who said he did not have details on passengers' injuries.