The Slatest

California Tour Bus Crash Kills at Least 13, Injures 31

 

Workers cut away debris from the front of a bus involved in a mass casualty crash on the westbound Interstate 10 freeway near Palm Springs, California, on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sam Mircovich/Reuters

A tour bus that crashed into the back of a big-rig truck early Sunday in Palm Springs, California, has killed at least 13 people and injured 31. The USA Holiday bus crashed into the truck at 5:17 a.m. at a high speed and the truck’s trailer pushed 15 feet into the bus, killing the driver and at least 12 others. The truck driver suffered only minor injuries.

The death toll could very well increase considering that at least some of the injured are in critical condition. Photos from the crash site show a bus with a completely crumpled front, making it difficult to believe anyone who was sitting close to the driver could have survived the crash.

“The front part of the bus was completely merged into the rear of the semi-truck,” a witness said.

It’s still unclear why the bus was traveling at a speed that appears to have been much faster than the truck, notes the Desert Sun. “Right now we’re looking at everything,” California Highway Patrol Chief Jim Abele said at a news conference. “In almost 30 years, I’ve never been to a crash where there’s been 13 confirmed fatal accidents,” Abele said. “We’re going to do everything we can to find out specifically what is the cause of this accident.”

The bus, which was traveling to Los Angeles from the Red Earth Casino in Salton City, appears to have been transporting several foreigners. Although authorities have refused to identify nationalities of any victims, they did say they were in touch with consular officials from Mexico, Japan, and Australia.