At least eight people were killed in a tour bus crash in Southern California on Sunday.
At least eight died and a dozen were injured when the bus crashed in the mountainous region of State Route 38 in San Bernadino County. The death toll is expected to ride as authorities work to recover the victims, CNN reports.
It is not clear what caused the crash but officials believe the tour bus rear-ended a car, crashed with a pickup truck attached to a trailer, and then rolled over on Sunday evening. Interbus official Jodi Garcia believes the bus may have had a brake issue.
"The information that we have is that the buses' brakes failed and the accident occurred," Garcia told Fox.
According to CNN, at least 42 people were injured to various extents. Ambulances lined up along the highway to take the injured to hospitals. The road was reduced to one lane for ambulances heading in both directions.
According to Fox, at least 15 were taken to hospitals with serious injuries while seven others were taken for minor injuries. Many were seriously injured or killed when the bus overturned. All of the passengers were removed from the bus late Sunday night.
The company of the tour bus was Scapadas Magicas of National City, California. The bus was heading back to Tijuana following a snowboarding trip to Big Bear.
The company did not comment on the crash but they have no record of any crashes at least two-years before Sunday's incident and the company received a satisfactory grade for safety in the past month.
Investigators still believe the bus rolled over as they searched through the debris with flashlights overnight. The roof was ripped open and the top of the bus near the driver's seat was caved in, showing indication of a rollover.
State Route 38 will continue to be closed between Forest Falls to Mentone until Monday evening.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
