MCALLEN, Texas — Eight bus passengers died and more than 40 were injured following a Saturday morning crash northwest of the border city of Laredo. 

The bus was traveling north on U.S. Highway 83 towards Eagle Pass when it wrecked, authorities confirmed

“Texas DPS in investigating a one vehicle fatal crash that took place on U.S. 83 North just south of Catarina in Dimmit County,” information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) revealed.

Authorities in Laredo have confirmed that 44 passengers were injured and 8 died, KSAT reported.

The bus, a 1999 Vahn charter bus was traveling from the Rio Grande Valley to Eagle Pass on Saturday morning when it lost control and rolled over on its left side, the information from Texas state troopers revealed. Texas DPS is carrying out the investigation into the wreck. The passengers were rushed to various hospitals in Laredo, and to the Dimmit County Hospital.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded to the tragedy saying, “Cecilia and I extend our deepest condolences to those affected by the tragic accident in South Texas today. I ask the entire State of Texas to keep the families of loved ones lost today, as well as the Dimmit County community, in its thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

The charter bus had been traveling to the casinos near Eagle Pass. Unlike other cases previously reported by Breitbart Texas, this case is not believed to be tied to human smuggling. The border communities including Eagle Pass, Laredo, and the cities that make up the Rio Grande Valley all lie just south of U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints which present the last barrier before human smugglers and drug traffickers are home free.

A woman died and 12 other illegal immigrants were injured near the border city of Palmview in November 2015 after a vehicle being used by human smugglers crashed while trying to avoid authorities.

In September of that same year, six illegal immigrants from Honduras and Guatemala were killed following a high speed chase northwest of Victoria Texas.

A 14 year-old teenager was driving a van full of illegal immigrants when he tried to escape from authorities in 2012. As Breitbart News previously reported, the teen wrecked the van during the chase resulting in the death of 9 immigrants.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with a statement from the Governor’s office.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.