THIRTEEN PEOPLE have been killed in New York after the bus in which they were travelling was hit by a tractor trailer, flipped onto its side, and was then sliced in half by the support pole for a large sign.

The wreck – on the side of a major highway in the Bronx borough of the city – left a scene of carnage and closed the southbound side of Interstate 95 for hours while emergency workers attended to critically injured survivors.

The tour bus was headed to Chinatown in Manhattan carrying a full load of passengers returning from a casino in Connecticut.

Police began a hunt for the driver of the tractor trailer, which did not stop after the crash, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

As it entered the city at around 5:30am local time (10:30am Irish time), it was struck from behind by a tractor trailer, Browne added. The bus began swerving, toppled and crashed into the support post for a highway sign.

The pole entered through the front window, then sheared the bus from front to back along the window line, peeling the roof off all the way to the back tires.

Police and fire officials say the bus was carrying at least 31 passengers. The driver survived.

In addition to the fatalities, six passengers were critically hurt and four more hospitalized with less severe injuries, a Fire Department spokesman said. Eleven others sustained minor injuries.

Traffic was also closed on the northbound side of the highway after the crash, but was moving again by mid-morning.

Local reports said the death toll may rise, due to the extent of the injuries of other passengers on the bus.

Additional reporting by AP