HOLTVILLE: At least 13 people, 10 of them Mexican nationals, were killed on Tuesday when a tractor-trailer slammed into an SUV crammed with 25 adults and children on a dusty Southern Californian road near the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents opened an investigation into whether human smuggling was involved, an agency spokeswoman said in a statement hours later.
Handmade wooden crosses stretched in a line across a patch of dry grass and dirt by the roadside, and a seat covered in what appeared to be blood lay near the crumpled Ford Expedition, as the desolate highway through the farming community of Holtville remained closed Tuesday afternoon.
The white tractor-trailer cab with yellow trim was still smashed into the wrecked side of the maroon SUV. The entire driver's side of the smaller vehicle was caved in, and the passenger side was flung wide open.
"Unfortunately, consular staff have confirmed the death of 10 Mexicans so far," Roberto Velasco, the foreign ministry's director for North America, said in a tweet in Spanish.
Mexicans were also among the injured, he said.
It was not immediately clear how fast the vehicles were going, or whether the SUV had observed a stop sign before heading into the intersection of State Route 115 and Norrish Road just outside of Holtville, about 10 miles (16.1 km) north of the border, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said.
Those killed, who included the driver of the SUV, ranged in age from 15 to 53, and minors as young as 16 were injured, said Omar Watson, chief of the highway patrol's border division. He said the driver was 22 years old.
Several of the occupants were ejected from the vehicle and died on the pavement; others died inside the SUV, Watson said.
Most of the survivors are Spanish-speaking, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said. Despite the presence of CBP agents and Spanish translators, Watson said it was too early to know whether the SUV's occupants were migrant workers or others who might have crossed from Mexico in the overcrowded vehicle.
Special agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations branch responded to the crash scene "and have initiated a human smuggling investigation," a spokeswoman said late on Tuesday. "The investigation is ongoing, and no further details are available at this time.”
Although it varies by trim and model year, the Ford Expedition typically is designed to hold five to eight people.
Watson said the CHP was working with the Mexican Consulate to determine who was in the vehicle and notify families.
A CBP spokesperson, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly, said the agency was not in pursuit of or aware of the vehicle until after the crash.
The agency does not know and is not investigating the immigration status of the people at this time.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, which was earlier said to be hauling gravel but according to the CHP was not, was also hospitalized with moderate injuries, Watson said.
The logo of Havens and Sons Trucking of nearby El Centro was on the side of the truck cab. A person who answered the phone at the company told Reuters it had no comment at this time.
Several of the victims were taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center, the director of the hospital's emergency room, Judy Cruz, said in a news briefing posted on Facebook.
Agriculture drives the economy around Holtville and El Centro. Known as the Imperial Valley, the area is a big producer of fruits, vegetables, grain and cattle despite being desert, thanks to irrigation from the Colorado River and a long growing season.
Hospital officials had previously said that 27 people were in the SUV, and that 15 had died, but Watson said there were 25 passengers and 13 fatalities.
Three victims were flown to other hospitals and seven others were brought to El Centro. One person died at the hospital, Cruz said.
Reuters
Wed Mar 03 2021
California Highway Patrol officers investigate a crash site after a collision between a Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a tractor-trailer truck near Holtville, California, U.S. in an aerial photograph March 2, 2021. REUTERSpic
37 juta tan serpihan runtuhan di Gaza - UNMAS
Terdapat juga sejumlah besar senjata api yang tidak meletup tertimbus di dalam runtuhan yang menimbulkan risiko kepada kerja pembersihan.
Legenda EPL puji padang SNBJ
Pemain Manchester Reds dan Liverpool Reds memuji keadaan rumput yang cantik dan bersedia untuk kembali beraksi pada masa akan datang.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia saling tidak percaya akibat kebergantungan dipersenjatakan - Naib Presiden Suruhanjaya Eropah
Fenomena hilang kepercayaan yang melanda komuniti antarabangsa ketika ini adalah akibat kebergantungan yang dipersenjatakan oleh beberapa pihak.
Che'gu Bard tiba di mahkamah bagi hadapi pertuduhan kes fitnah, hasut
Badrul Hisham, yang memakai baju Melayu berwarna hijau, dibawa oleh pihak polis ke mahkamah dalam keadaan bergari.
WCK sambung misi bantuan di Gaza
Operasi itu disambung sebulan selepas tujuh pekerja badan amal itu terbunuh dalam serangan udara Israel.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia perlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi ke Orde Baharu - Menteri Luar Arab Saudi
Dunia memerlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi daripada Orde Dunia Lama kepada Orde Baharu.
Niaga AWANI: Jiwa SME: Permintaan daun moringa meningkat, jadi tumpuan luar negara
Berdasarkan laporan Vodus Market Research, sebuah firma penyelidikan dan analisis data pasaran dalam talian, kira-kira 71 peratus penduduk di negara ini mengambil suplemen pada 2021.
Nilai pasaran suplemen negara juga menunjukkan peningkatan ketara dalam tempoh 2014 hingga 2019, iaitu daripada RM2.07 bilion kepada RM3.1 bilion. Angka itu dijangka terus meningkat pada masa akan datang.
Nilai pasaran suplemen negara juga menunjukkan peningkatan ketara dalam tempoh 2014 hingga 2019, iaitu daripada RM2.07 bilion kepada RM3.1 bilion. Angka itu dijangka terus meningkat pada masa akan datang.
Niaga AWANI: FBM KLCI mencapai paras tertinggi walaupun ditengah cabaran Ringgit
Indeks FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI meningkat sebanyak 8.28% walaupun nilai matawang menurun sebanyak 3.79% berbanding dollar Amerika Syarikat (AS). Adakah trend ini akan berterusan sehingga bulan Mei akan datang? Kupasan lanjut bersama Ketua Penyelidikan dan Penasihat Kekayaan, Pengurus Portfolio, UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors, Mohd Sedek Jantan.
Niaga AWANI: Ringgit dijangka sekitar 4.77 berbanding dolar AS minggu ini
Pengarah Urusan SPI Asset Management Stephen Innes berkata ini bagaimanapun bergantung kepada reaksi pasaran bon global memandangkan ramai peniaga memberi tumpuan terhadap pelarasan oleh Rizab Persekutuan AS (Fed).
Mustapa Mohamed terima anugerah daripada kerajaan Jepun
Mustapa dianugerahi Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun daripada Kerajaan Jepun atas sumbangan beliau dalam hubungan Jepun-Malaysia.
Sekurang-kurangnya empat maut dalam insiden tembakan di sebuah bar di AS
Sekurang-kurangnya empat orang maut dalam kejadian tembakan di sebuah bar di negeri California di Amerika Syarikat pada Rabu.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Hurikan Hilary landa California
Selatan California telah mengalami kesan ribut sejak awal Ahad dan jumlah curahan hujan mula meningkat.
Putri Ariani tampil persembahan memukau sempena Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia
Penyanyi kelahiran Indonesia, Putri Ariani tampil membuat persembahan sempena sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan Indonesia (HUT) ke 78 di Istana Merdeka, Jakarta Pusat pada Khamis.
Kanak-kanak tidak sengaja tembak mati adik usia setahun di California
Mangsa yang cedera di kepala itu dibawa ke hospital dan disahkan meninggal dunia pada 8.30 pagi Isnin waktu tempatan.
Enam maut, pesawat terhempas berhampiran lapangan terbang California Selatan
Sebuah pesawat ringan terhempas berhampiran Lapangan Terbang French Valley di California hingga mengorbankan kesemua enam penumpang.
'Wolverine' dikesan di California, kedua disahkan dalam tempoh 100 tahun
Seekor wolverine liar dikesan beberapa kali di California bulan lepas, menurut Jabatan Ikan dan Hidupan Liar California.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
2 terbunuh pesawat kecil ke Hawaii terhempas di pantai California
Sebuah pesawat kecil yang dipercayai dalam perjalanan ke Hawaii terhempas di pantai California, mengorbankan jurutebang dan pembantunya.
Gempa 5.44 pada skala Richter landa California
Gempa bumi berukuran 5.44 pada skala Richter menggegarkan 4 kilometer barat daya East Shore, California.