Hewitt, Texas ? A bus carrying a church group swerved to avoid a crash, then hit another vehicle and rolled over on a rain-soaked interstate Friday morning, killing seven people, authorities said.

Five of those killed were on the bus and two were in a sport utility vehicle hit head-on as the bus swerved into oncoming traffic on Interstate 35, said Tom Vinger, a Department of Public Safety spokesman. The bus carried 33 people, and many of them were injured.

The bus came to rest on its side with a crushed black vehicle partially underneath it. Dozens of firefighters and rescuers worked to get people out of the bus.

Don Bledsoe, 73, said he was in the bus bathroom during the wreck and was not injured.

“I felt the bus swerve, then I guess it lost control,” Bledsoe said. “Next thing I knew, we were laying down.”

Bledsoe considered himself lucky for leaving his seat near the front of the bus.

Memorial Baptist Church members Chris Hansen and Heather Melendez share a moment of silence after a prayer service at the church in Temple, Texas. A bus carrying a group from the church was involved in a deadly crash Friday.

“A lady that was sitting in front of me, they took her out and she was hurt real bad,” he said.

The bus was carrying a group from Memorial Baptist Church in Temple to a concert in Dallas. A church deacon, Dick Stafford, said most of the passengers were between 60 and 80 years old.

Family members gathered at the church to await word on their relatives.

“I don’t guess life is supposed to be easy,” Stafford said. “When you’re having good times, you better enjoy them.”

The bus was operated by Waco-based Central Texas Trails Inc.