Authorities say a tire on a church bus blew out and the bus hit a tractor-trailer and sport utility vehicle in northeastern Tennessee, killing eight people.

The state Department of Safety and Homeland Security said the chartered bus crossed the median in Jefferson County about 2 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 40. The bus clipped an oncoming SUV and hit the tractor-trailer, which burst into flames. The bus, which was heading eastbound, overturned.

The agency said 14 people were hurt.

The accident has shut down Interstate 40 in Jefferson County.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeremy Heidt said it was a church bus, did he did not know name.

___

Loller reported from Nashville.