An 8-seater SUV with an accident while running with 25 people▶ Click here for a larger view
–
At least 13 people died when a sports utility vehicle (SUV), which carried 25 people, exceeding 8 people, crashed into a heavy truck in a rural village in California, near the Mexican border.
According to the Associated Press, a 1997 Ford Xperdition SUV and a large trailer truck collided on a highway near Holtville, a rural village in Imperial County, California at 6:15 am on the 2nd (local time).
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said that an 8-seater SUV had 25 people on board and at least 13 people died.
The injured were urgently transferred to three hospitals, including the El Centro Medical Center, near the accident site, but there are observations that the number of victims may increase due to some serious injuries.
Many injuries are known to have had head injuries or broken bones.
“It was a big accident,” said Adolf Edward, CEO of El Centro Hospital. “The patients are in a difficult situation.”
Earlier, El Centro Hospital said that 27 people boarded the SUV and at least 15 people were killed, but the CHP corrected the number of occupants and fatalities.
–
SUV and heavy truck crash scene▶ Click here for a larger view
–
CHP Captain Omar Watson said, “It was a scene of chaos. It was a very sad situation.”
The age of the confirmed deaths to date ranged from 20 to 55 years, and among the injured were adolescents aged 16. The police said that there were children who were injured by the SUV, but their age was not confirmed.”
Police estimated that the SUV collided with a truck at an intersection near the highway. The SUV’s body was distorted like a sheet of paper due to the impact of an accident.
Police said it was unclear whether the SUV broke the stop sign at the intersection and how fast the truck ran.
Ford Xperdition can carry up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg) of luggage, but if 25 people are on board, it will burden the brakes and interfere with driving, said Frank Boris, former director of the Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation.
–
An intersection in a rural village in the United States where a crash occurred▶ Click here for a larger view
–
Police are investigating how 25 people aboard an 8-seater SUV.
“It’s unfortunate that a lot of people got in it,” said Captain Watson. “A crashed SUV isn’t a car for so many people.”
The accident area is an American vegetable farm just 16 kilometers from the Mexican border.
The Associated Press reported that buses and SUVs carrying farm workers frequently travel around the accident site in time for the winter lettuce and vegetable harvest, which runs from November to March of the following year, as well as vehicles carrying smugglers from Mexico.
U.S. investigative authorities said they still do not know whether the SUV carried Mexican workers working on US farms or carried illegal Mexican immigrants.
The deceased SUV driver was confirmed to be a 22-year-old Mexican national, and most of the survivors are known to speak Spanish, the official Mexican language.
U.S. police are working with the Mexican consulate to identify the deceased.
Macario Mora, a spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the El Centro area, said he is investigating the entry and exit records of the occupants of the accident vehicle.
[연합뉴스]
Copyrights ⓒ Yonhap News. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
–
