Officials say a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike Tuesday evening that involved a double-decker bus and a pickup truck claimed the lives of two people and seriously injured three.

The accident happened just before 7 PM in Woodbridge, Middlesex County.

According to state police, a Van Hool double-decker Coach bus, occupied by the driver and 22 passengers, was headed southbound in the outer roadway of the Turnpike when the driver lost control and struck a Ford F-150 truck.

After the impact, the bus went off the road, struck the guardrail, and overturned onto the Thomas Edison Service Area entrance ramp.

Authorities say two passengers on the bus sustained fatal injuries.

59-year-old Cheryl Johnson of Bronx, NY, was pronounced dead at the scene. 66-year-old Cecilia Kiyanitza of Woodbury, NJ, was airlifted to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

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The bus driver, a 56-year-old man from Westville, NJ, was seriously injured along with two passengers. 14 other passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck was not hurt.

WCAU-TV reports the Megabus was heading from 34th Street in New York City to Philadelphia.

It took about seven hours for first responders to clear the accident scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

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