Los Angeles:
At least 13 folks have been killed in southern California on Tuesday when a car packed with passengers like minors collided with a big truck close to the Mexico border, officials mentioned.
The accident occurred when the SUV carrying more than two dozen folks and a semi-truck complete of gravel crashed close to El Centro, California, Judy Cruz, an official from El Centro Regional Medical Center mentioned.
A total of 25 occupants, like the driver, have been traveling in the SUV at the time of the crash, according to Omar Watson of the California Highway Patrol.
“We had 12 fatalities on scene, one person passed over at the hospital, a total of 13 people passed away,” he told a press conference.
However the El Centro Regional Medical Center reported that 15 folks had died and there have been 28 passengers in the SUV.
The SUV involved in the accident was a Ford Expedition, which would have a legal capacity of about eight folks, police told US media.
The initial photos of the collision broadcast by nearby media showed the semi-truck crashed into the side of a burgundy-colored SUV that appeared to have California license plates.
According to Watson, the accident occurred when the SUV entered an intersection in front of the semi-truck.
Children injured
“Some people were ejected onto the pavement, onto the ground, that passed away as a result of those injuries,” Watson mentioned. “Other people were found deceased within the vehicle.”
He added that “there were children in the vehicle but we don’t have all the ages yet.”
Those killed ranged in age from 20 to 55, but at least one of the injured was a minor as young as 16.
The injured, like the driver of the semi-truck, have been transported to at least 3 unique regional hospitals, Watson mentioned.
The cab of the truck was just about intact but the SUV, though nonetheless on its 4 wheels, was badly broken.
“We are working with the Mexican consulate to determine exactly who was in the vehicle and make sure we notify the next of kin,” Watson mentioned, with out specifying the nationality of these involved in the accident.
The collision occurred shortly soon after 6:00 am on State Route 115 close to the town of Holtville, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Mexico.
The accident was not a Border Patrol pursuit, Watson mentioned, adding that “we’re not exactly sure what caused the collision but there were no law enforcement involved.”
Crashes involving higher death tolls are not uncommon along the California-Mexico border through chases with US border authorities, according The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Separately, a series of harrowing collisions involving autos carrying farmworkers en route to the state’s Central Valley agricultural area spurred legislation requiring vans and buses carrying nine or more workers to have seat belts and undergo annual security certification, the paper mentioned.
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