The front of the white tour bus was crumpled and largely destroyed, suggesting the bus was traveling much faster than the truck, officials said. They cautioned that it was too early to say whether the bus driver, who died in the crash, was speeding.</s>Video: At least 13 killed in California tour bus crash

California police say at least 13 people are dead and dozens more injured after a tour bus plowed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck on a freeway near Palm Springs.</s>DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — The California Highway Patrol says at least three passengers were killed when a tour bus and a semi-truck crashed on a highway in Southern California.

CHP Officer Stephanie Hamilton tells the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs (http://desert.sn/2ekf1LI ) that crews were searching the bus for more victims after the wreck early Sunday on Interstate 10 in Desert Hot Springs, near the desert resort town.

The newspaper reports at least 21 victims have been taken to Palm Springs-area hospitals.

Photos show the front of the passenger bus pushed into the semi-truck’s trailer.

Hamilton says “the intrusion into the bus compartment is significant.”

Firefighters are using ladders into the bus’ windows to pull out victims.

The CHP says all westbound lanes of the highway are closed and traffic is being diverted.</s>PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- A tour bus slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer rig on a Southern California highway early Sunday, killing 13 people and injuring at least 31 others, some critically, authorities said.

A maintenance crew had slowed down traffic on Interstate 10 before the vehicles crashed just north of the desert resort town of Palm Springs, California Highway Patrol Border Division Chief Jim Abele said. The work had gone on for hours without problems, he said.

"The speed of bus was so significant that the trailer itself entered about 15 feet into the bus," he said at a news conference. "You can see it was a substantial impact."

Abele said it was not known whether alcohol, drugs or fatigue played a role in the crash about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. The USA Holiday tour bus was returning to Los Angeles after a visit to the Red Earth Casino in Thermal, about 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs. The bus driver was killed, and the truck driver suffered minor injuries.

Passengers told officials that most people were asleep when the crash occurred at 5:17 a.m. Abele said he didn't believe the 1996 bus had seat belts and likely didn't have a black box outfitted in newer vehicles.

The bus was inspected in 2014, 2015 and this year and didn't have any mechanical issues, Abele said. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show it had no crashes in the two years before Saturday and had a satisfactory safety rating.

The front of the bus had crumpled into the semi-truck's trailer and debris was scattered across the key route through Southern California. Firefighters used ladders to climb into the bus' windows to remove bodies and tow trucks lifted the trailer to make it easier to reach the bus, whose front end was demolished.

Fourteen patients were sent to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, the area's only trauma center. Five were admitted in critical condition but were stable and in intensive care by Sunday afternoon, said Dr. Ricard Townsend, a trauma surgeon. Seven others had been released.

Doctors treated several spinal fractures but few other bone injuries. The wounds indicate the bus was slowing down when it struck, Townsend said.

Two other hospitals received patients with minor injuries.

Highway patrol officer Stephanie Hamilton earlier told the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs that the driver was one of the owners of USA Holiday, based near Los Angeles. The company has one vehicle and one driver, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

A phone message left for the company was not immediately returned. A Facebook message from USA Holiday said it did not have much information about the crash.

The bus owner's neighbor said she'd often see a tour bus with the sign "USA Holiday" parked on the street in front of his apartment in a working-class neighborhood in Alhambra, about 7 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

Sonia Anderson said the family that lived there -- a man, woman and their college student son -- had lived in the apartment for about 17 years. She said the father generally drove the bus and his wife and son would sometimes travel on the bus with him.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to California to investigate the crash, board spokesman Eric Weiss said.

It comes two years after a FedEx truck veered across an interstate median north of Sacramento and slammed into a bus full of high school students, killing 10 people. In August, a bus in central California hit a highway sign post that tore through the vehicle and left four people dead.</s>DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. — A tour bus and a semi-truck crashed on a highway in Southern California early Sunday, killing at least 11 people, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP Officer Stephanie Hamilton confirmed the fatalities to the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs. Firefighters removed more bodies using ladders to climb into the bus’ windows, the newspaper reported.

Photos show the front of the passenger bus pushed into the semi-truck’s trailer after the wreck on Interstate 10 in Desert Hot Springs, near the desert resort town of Palm Springs. Responders used tow trucks to lift the trailer to provide easier access and pull the semi-truck forward, the newspaper reported.

At least 30 victims have been taken to hospitals. Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs received 14 patients: five in critical condition, three in serious condition and six with minor injuries, hospital director of marketing Rich Ramhoff said.

Eleven people with minor injuries were sent to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, spokesperson Lee Rice. JFK Medical Center received five patients, all with minor injuries, chief development officer Linda Evans said.

Its cause is not yet known. The CHP says all westbound lanes of the highway are closed and traffic is being diverted.</s>PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — A tour bus slammed into the back of a semi-truck on a Southern California highway early Sunday, killing 13 people and injuring at least 31 others, some critically, authorities said.

The passenger bus was going much faster than the truck, but it’s not yet clear if it was speeding on Interstate 10 just north of the desert resort town of Palm Springs, California Highway Patrol Border Division Chief Jim Abele told reporters.

“The speed of bus was so significant that the trailer itself entered about 15 feet into the bus,” he said at a news conference. “You can see it was a substantial impact.”

Abele said it was not known if alcohol, drugs or fatigue played a role in the crash about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. The USA Holiday tour bus was returning to Los Angeles after a visit to the Red Earth Casino in Thermal, about 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs. The bus driver was killed, and the truck driver received minor injuries.

Passengers told officials that most people were asleep when the crash occurred at 5:17 a.m. Abele said he didn’t believe the 1996 bus had seat belts and likely didn’t have a black box outfitted in newer vehicles.

The bus was inspected in 2014, 2015 and this year and didn’t have any mechanical issues, Abele said. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show it had no crashes in the two years before Oct. 22 and had a satisfactory safety rating.

The front of the bus had crumpled into the semi-truck’s trailer and debris was scattered across the key route through Southern California. Firefighters used ladders to climb into the bus’ windows to remove bodies and tow trucks lifted the trailer to make it easier to reach the bus, whose front end was demolished.

Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs received 14 patients: five in critical condition, three in serious condition and six with minor injuries, hospital marketing director Rich Ramhoff said.

Eleven people with minor injuries were sent to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, spokesperson Lee Rice said. JFK Memorial Medical Center in Indio received five patients, all with minor injuries, chief development officer Linda Evans said.

CHP Officer Stephanie Hamilton earlier told the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs that the driver was one of the owners of USA Holiday, based near Los Angeles. The company has one vehicle and one driver, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

A phone message left for the company was not immediately returned. A Facebook message from USA Holiday said it did not have much information about the crash.

The company says on social media that is has more than 25 years of experience in traveling to casinos in Southern California. It posts about trips leaving the Los Angeles area to casinos around the Coachella Valley and Las Vegas.

The CHP says all westbound lanes of the highway were closed and traffic was being diverted.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to California to investigate the crash, board spokesman Eric Weiss said.

It comes two years after a FedEx truck veered across an interstate median north of Sacramento and slammed into a bus full of high school students, killing 10 people. In August, a bus in central California hit a highway sign post that tore through the vehicle and left four people dead.</s>The bus was traveling west on Interstate 10 when the crash occurred near Palm Springs, a city about 100 miles (160 km) east of Los Angeles, the television station reported.

The Riverside County Coroner's Office confirmed 13 people aboard the bus were killed, the station said.

Photographs from the scene showed the front of the tour bus wedged inside the back of the trailer, with emergency workers using metal ladders to reach the inside of the bus. A tow truck was used to separate the vehicles, local media including the Desert Sun newspaper reported.

The injured were being treated at local hospitals, while all westbound lanes of the interstate were closed near the crash, according to the reports.

The bus had left the Red Earth Casino in Salton City, California, and was headed to Los Angeles when the crash was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 5:17 a.m. (1217 GMT), the NBC affiliate said.</s>A tour bus crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on a southern California highway before dawn on Sunday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 31, an NBC affiliate has reported.

The bus was travelling west on Interstate 10 when the crash occurred near Palm Springs, a city about 160km east of Los Angeles, the television station reported.

The Riverside County coroner’s office confirmed 13 people aboard the bus were killed, the station said.

Photographs from the scene showed the front of the tour bus wedged inside the back of the trailer, with emergency workers using metal ladders to reach the inside of the bus.

A tow truck was used to separate the vehicles, local media reported.

The injured were being treated at local hospitals, while all westbound lanes of the interstate were closed near the crash, according to the reports.

The bus had left the Red Earth Casino in Salton City, California, and was headed to Los Angeles when the crash was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 05.17am local time, the NBC affiliate said.</s>A tour bus crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer on a Southern California highway before dawn, killing 13 people and injuring 31, authorities said. The bus was traveling west on Interstate 10 when the crash occurred near Palm Springs, a city about 100 miles (160 km) east of Los Angeles, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Chief Jim Abele told reporters.

Abele said because of the bus’ speed, the truck’s trailer pushed about 15 feet into the bus. The bus driver was among the 13 killed, he said. Abele said he believed the 31 injured passengers had minor to moderate injuries, but some could be worse. “In almost 35 years I’ve never been to a crash where there’s been 13 confirmed,” deaths, Abele said. “So it’s tough. It’s tough for all of us.”

Abele said the bus had been inspected as recently as April and there was no indication of mechanical problems. He said several survivors reported most of the passengers, all of whom were adults, were sleeping at the time of the crash. Photographs from the scene showed the front of the tour bus wedged inside the back of the trailer, with emergency workers using metal ladders to reach the inside of the bus.

The injured were being treated at hospitals while all westbound lanes of the interstate were closed near the crash, officials said. Abele said the lanes would likely be reopened around 4 p.m. Abele said the bus appeared to be ferrying casino-goers back to Los Angeles from the Red Earth Casino after a night of gambling. The Los Angeles-area bus company, USA Holiday Bus, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The local Desert Sun newspaper reported the driver was one of the company’s owners. Abele said USA Holiday appeared to be an “owner-operator” company and that the totaled bus was the only one owned. The National Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate the crash and is sending an investigative team to the site. Abele said it was not immediately clear if alcohol, drugs or fatigue was a factor in the crash. He said it was not clear whether the bus was speeding, but said it was traveling “significantly faster” than the tractor-trailer.</s>DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Highway Patrol: At least 3 dead after tour bus, semi-truck crash on freeway in Southern California.
A collision between a tour bus and a tractor-trailer kills at least 13 people, and injures 31 others in Desert Hot Springs, California, United States.