A tour bus ended up overturned while trying to avoid steel pipes near the California-Arizona border early Wednesday morning, killing four and injuring at least 21 others, Los Angeles Times reported.
The tour bus, with dozens of people abroad, was headed west on Interstate 10 near Blythe. Victims and passengers were hospitalized at several medical centers near the California-Arizona state line.
The accident occurred about 2:15 a.m. on the California side of the state line near Blythe, between U.S. Highway 95 and Riviera Drive next to the Colorado River, Caltrans officials said.
The big rig apparently jackknifed onto the median and spilled its load of steel pipes onto the lanes, Terri Kasinga, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation, told the LA Times.
As the driver swerved to avoid hitting the pipes, the bus veered off the shoulder and rolled over, settling on its side about 50 feet off the road in the dirt, authorities said.
While six victims had to be airlifted to hospitals, the total injured was reported to be between 21 and 28 people. The driver of the big rig was not injured.
"An eastbound Chevrolet Suburban that collided with the pipes was 'heavily damaged,' Kasinga said," according to LA Times. "The condition of the SUV's passengers was not immediately known."
The bus belonged to El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express Inc., a low-cost charter service that shuttles passengers between major cities across the Southwest and connects to bus lines into Mexico, according to the company's website.
Company officials were not immediately available for comment, LA Times reported.
The bus had left El Paso and made a stop in Phoenix before continuing toward Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, California Highway Patrol officials told NBC Los Angeles.
Both directions on Interstate 10 were closed after the accident, and the highway is expected to remain closed until about noon PDT.
