FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A tour bus carrying the Christian rock band MercyMe was involved in a fatal accident early Saturday in Indiana, according to published reports.
The band's tour bus struck a car at the intersection of Lima Road and Coliseum Boulevard around 1:15 a.m., killing two passengers in the vehicle.
"Car just hit our tour bus," lead singer Bart Millard Tweeted shortly after the accident. "We are ok, but 2 in the car did not make it."
Eyewitnesses told The News-Sentinel that the group's bus was traveling northbound on Lima and had a green light as it entered the intersection at Coliseum. The car was driving southbound on Lima when it suddenly turned east onto Coliseum and into the path of the tour bus, the Fort Wayne Police Department said.
MercyMe had performed a concert Friday night at Parkview Field and was en route to tonight's show at the Six Flags theme park in Eureka, Mo.
Following the accident, the band canceled the sold-out Six Flags show and rescheduled it for Sept. 5.
MercyMe formed in 1994 in Texas. After releasing six independent albums, the group signed with INO Records in 2001 and went on to achieve mainstream recognition behind their crossover single, "I Can Only Imagine." The track, off the group's debut album for INO, earned MercyMe a 2002 Dove Award and went on to achieve even more success several years later on the Billboard charts.
In addition to Millard, the band out of Greenville also consists of keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robin Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul.
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