A tour bus traveling from a casino near Salton Sea to Los Angeles crashed into the back of a tractor trailer on Sunday morning, killing 13 people and injuring 31.
The accident took place on Interstate 10 highway in southern California. The bus operated by USA Holiday was carrying 43 passengers who were asleep at the time of the crash.
The driver of the bus was among those killed, and the tractor-trailer driver sustained minor injuries. The 31 injured people were taken to three different hospitals.
Some of the passengers were said to be critical and serious condition, while others were discharged after treatment.
"By the grace of God, nobody else will pass away," Jim Abele, chief with the California Highway Patrol, said at a press briefing.
The passengers were returning from Red Earth Casino in Thermal near Palm Springs.
Abele said that it was not immediately known if the driver was under the influence of drugs, alcohol or fatigue.
National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident.
Abele said that the bus had a considerably higher speed than the tractor trailer, which led the bus to penetrate 15 feet into the truck.
"Right now we're looking at everything," he told reporters. "We may not determine how the accident occurred because the driver was killed."
The freeway at Indian Canyon Drive was closed, and the crash scene was cleared by Sunday afternoon. After about 4 pm local time, the highway was reopened.
Many of the victims' identities were not confirmed because the passengers were in need of urgent care and the first responders evacuated the bus swiftly.
The bus was a 1996 MCI model, and was inspected in April this year. No mechanical issues were reported in the bus.
The bus service was founded in 1978, and ferries passengers from Los Angeles area to tourist locations including casinos, beaches, and museums in several states.
