UPDATE: The prisoner transport bus that blew a tire this morning on I-75 near Exit 11 was carrying 60 male inmates to the state prison in Bledsoe County, according to the Bradley County Sheriff's Office.
Communications Director James E. Bradford Jr. said in an emailed statement there were two vehicles, one with the 60 male inmates and one with 14 female prisoners.
He said the bus carrying the men blew a tire about 6:03 a.m. and Bradley County officers responded to back up those guarding the transport vehicles. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office sent some backup officers as well.
The inmates were transferred to another bus and were back on their way by about 7:22 a.m., he said,
There were no injuries to inmates or law-enforcement personnel during the bus incident. Both transports have safely arrived to their destinations and will start the transfer of inmates into the custody of the Tennessee Department of Correction.
In the statement, Sheriff Eric Watson commended Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond and his officers "should be commended for their quick response to assist our agency" and providing an additional layer of security for the prisoners and the public.
He also praised the Tennessee Department of Correction "for allowing our agency to transfer 74 inmates into their custody."
Watson earlier this week blamed a backlog of state prisoners at the Bradley jail for overcrowding cited by jail inspectors who refused to certify the jail after a Feb. 22 inspection.
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UPDATE: The group of about 50 male prisoners was transferred to another bus and got on its away again shortly after 7:30 a.m., escorted by multiple Bradley County Sheriff's Office personnel and at least one dog.
The driver of the relief bus, Willardean Malone, stayed with the broken-down vehicle and was waiting on a wrecker. She said the front tire blew and the driver steered it safely into the truck inspection station just north of Exit 11.
She said four guards had been on the bus with the prisoners and there were several escort vehicles as well.
Earlier this week, the Tennessee Corrections Institute refused to certify the Bradley County Jail because of massive overcrowding that had prisoners sleeping on the floors and crammed into holding cells meant for temporary stays.
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ORIGINAL STORY: A school bus carrying prisoners from the Bradley County Jail has broken down on Interstate 75 south of White Oak Mountain.
Traffic is backed up in the southbound lane.
The prisoners have been loaded onto another school bus.
It is unclear where the prisoners were being transported.
This is a developing story.