MINNEAPOLIS  — Eight people were injured when two tour buses collided near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds just as the event was getting under way.

Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Gordon Shank said one of the buses was heading to the State Fair with 43 passengers and a driver. The other bus was empty, aside from the driver.

Both drivers were among the injured. The conditions of the injured were not immediately available. Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed a number of ambulances leaving the scene with victims.

Shank said the crash happened shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Highway 280, about a-half mile from the fair, which started Thursday.

The buses from Andy’s Charter Service in Little Falls and Lorenz Bus Service, both companies confirmed.