A Texas prison bus carrying 15 people slid off an icy highway and hit a moving freight train on Wednesday, killing 10 people and severely injuring five.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said two correctional officers and eight inmates died from injuries in the accident, Reuters reported.

"It's with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of those killed and injured this morning in a tragic accident," said Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. "Their loved ones will be in our thoughts and prayers."

The bus was traveling from Abilene to El Paso on Interstate 20 when it skidded off the road and collided with a freight train, the Washington Post reported.

Union Pacific Railroad spokesman Jeff DeGraff said Wednesday that no crew members on the train were seriously injured by the accident.

ABC News reported that there was another accident at the top of the overpass that the bus tried to avoid. Ector County Sheriff Mark Donaldson said the bus may have hit black ice in trying to avoid the previous accident.

The bus was dragged for nearly 200 yards along the tracks after the collision. Before the bus came to a complete stop, a number of smaller accidents happened along the 200-yard drag.

Four other inmates and one corrections officer were taken to a hospital in Odessa for treatment.

There is an ongoing investigation on the accident so far. The National Transportation Safety Board has also dispatched a team to Odessa for further investigation.

Yet, the Texas Department of Public Safety said that the accident appeared to be weather-related.

"It is a very horrific and tragic crash," Sergeant Elizabeth Barney said.

"Our sympathies go out to all the victims involved," spokesman Jeff DeGraff added.

When the bus collided with the freight train, it also caused damage to two other cars.

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