A school bus and a truck have collided in New Jersey.

The collision ripped apart the bus, knocking it on its side and injuring multiple people, according to police.

A red truck with a mangled front end was parked along the road nearby, about 50 miles west of New York.

The school bus had markings for the Paramus School District.

A fifth-grade class trip from the district was scheduled for Waterloo Village, a historic site about five miles from the crash scene.

A school district official said its superintendent was preparing a statement.

State police said that an unknown number of children were on the bus, but they did not know how serious the injuries are.

Hackettstown Police Sgt Darren Tynan told The Record that multiple people were taken to hospital.

"There's an incredible emergency response from throughout Morris County and by state police. It's a horrific scene," Mount Olive Mayor Rob Greenbaum told The Record.

The National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information on the crash, a spokesman said.

Morristown Medical Centre spokeswoman Elaine Andrecovich said they have received some people from the accident, but she did not have a number available and could not say how many were children.

About 10 victims were taken to St Clare's Dover Hospital and St Clare's Denville Hospital, according to communications director Patty Montgomery.

She said they were being evaluated and treated, but she did not have ages or conditions.