Authorities say 23 children and a school bus driver were hospitalized Monday after the bus collided with a truck carrying live chickens.

One of the children was transferred to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson in serious condition. The child’s name was not immediately released.

Most of the other students were treated at Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb and released within a few hours.

Pike County Sheriff Mark Shepherd said an investigation continues.

The sheriff’s office said the bus was taking students to North Pike Middle School when it struck a Sanderson Farms chicken truck at about 7:40 a.m. Monday.

The bus and the truck turned over after the collision on River Ridge Road, near Highway 44, east of McComb.

“It’s obvious that weather played a factor,” Shepherd said, referring to rainy conditions.

Coker said the students and driver escapes the bus through the top hatch and the rear door.