This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
A tour bus collided with a big rig near Palm Springs Sunday morning, killing 13 people and injuring 31 others.
According to the Desert Sun, the crash, which occurred on the westbound side of Interstate 10, was reported at around 5 a.m. The bus slammed into the back of the big rig, completely crushing the front of the bus.
One woman who was driving on I-10 around 5 a.m. told the Desert Sun, "The whole front of the bus up to about the second or third row of seats was completely crushed into the left rear side of the semi truck."
Firefighters struggled to reach the victims inside, and used chainsaws to break into the bus, and used ladders to pull out passengers. According to the L.A. Times, three separate area hospitals have been "flooded" with crash victims, five of whom are in critical condition.
The crash prompted the closure of westbound lanes of I-10 west of Indian Canyon Road, and traffic is being diverted to other local roads.
#BREAKINGNEWS Crash involving tour bus and semi-truck prompts closure of WB I-10 in Desert Hot Springs: CHPhttps://t.co/qkkxXelFcp pic.twitter.com/70yrVbN0xQ
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) October 23, 2016
The L.A. Times reports that the passengers on the bus, operated by the Alhambra-based company USA Holiday, may have been returning from a trip to the Red Earth Casino, near the Salton Sea.
As of 11:40 a.m., the tour bus had been taken away from the scene.
Workers are now preparing to haul away the tour bus. pic.twitter.com/yGEMo17jRd
— Paloma Esquivel (@palomaesquivel) October 23, 2016
