GREEN RIVER, Utah — A Greyhound bus traveling from Las Vegas to Denver rolled onto its side on a desert stretch of Interstate 70 Tuesday in southeastern Utah, injuring 21 passengers, authorities said.
The bus driver told the Utah Highway Patrol that he either blacked out or fell asleep.
Five passengers had serious injuries and were airlifted to a Grand Junction, Colo., hospital. The other passengers had minor injuries. Thirty-two passengers and a driver were aboard.
A spokeswoman for St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center said she could not immediately provide condition reports on the injured.
The accident occurred just before 8:30 a.m. about 30 miles west of Green River, said Lt. Steve Esplin of the Utah Highway Patrol.
Driver fatigue was a factor in the accident, in which the bus drifted to the right shoulder, corrected and then rolled over to its right side, Esplin said.
"According to his statements, he said he either blacked out or fell asleep," Esplin told Salt Lake City television station KUTV. "That's a common occurrence across that stretch. It's a long stretch of highway with nothing in between except Green River and Salina."
The bus left Las Vegas about 1 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Denver at 5:30 p.m., said Lynn Brown, a spokeswoman for Greyhound Lines, Inc.
Fourteen people were taken to hospitals and the driver did not appear to be injured, she said.
Brown said an investigation into the accident was ongoing and an exact cause wasn't yet known. She said Greyhound was sending relief buses to send passengers to Denver.
Green River is about 150 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
A hot line has been established for relatives to check on the status of passengers: 1-800-972-4583.