DENVER: A school bus carrying high school football players veered off a roadway and slammed into a concrete pillar at Denver International Airport, killing the driver and injuring 18 passengers, some seriously, officials said.

The bus had just picked up arriving members of the Legacy High School football squad Sunday afternoon and was circling back to the airport when it crashed. Airport spokeswoman Stacey Stegman told the Denver Post that the bus carried 28 students and four adults.

The female driver died at the scene, police spokesman John White said. Ten people were hospitalised and eight others treated and released, officials said. The Post reported that the injured were 15 students and three coaches from the suburban Denver school.

Officials at Denver Health told KUSA TV station that they have five patients: two are in critical condition, two are in serious condition and one is in fair condition. The Post reported that five patients in fair condition were taken to Children's Hospital Colorado.

Police have not released any information on the cause of the crash, which occurred at 4:08 pm, and White said they don't know why the driver was returning to the airport after picking up the team.

The driver's name and age have not been released.

Uninjured students gathered with parents inside the airport, the Post reported. Police interviewed the football players about the crash.

Legacy High School is in Broomfield, Colorado, and is part of Adams 12 Five Star Schools. The Post reports that the football team from Legacy played Chino High School on Friday night in California.

School officials told the newspaper that some of this week's homecoming events were being postponed, including a "Powderpuff" football game that was planned for Monday evening, while crisis team will be at the school Monday to help students.

The Adams 12 Five Star schools is a public district that serves suburbs north of Denver, including Broomfield, Federal Heights, Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster.