Six killed in Arizona bus crash
Tour bus crashes on I-10 south of Phoenix
March 5, 2010, 2:41 p.m.
STAFF REPORT
Several people were ejected from a bus when it crashed on Interstate 10 south of Phoenix on Friday morning, killing six passengers, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The wreck occurred at 5:27 a.m. when the commercial bus rear-ended a pickup truck.
The bus driver lost control and veered to the left, then to the right and off the road, rolling over at least once while several people were ejected from the bus, according to officials.
Two men and four women died, according to officials. Fifteen of the 21 bus passengers were transported to hospitals, including five who suffered serious injuries and were taken by helicopter.
Two 11-year-olds - a boy and a girl - are among the injured.
The crash blocked both westbound lanes of traffic, according to the Public Safety Department.
Los Angeles-based Tierra Santa owns the bus, which started its trip in central Mexico near Durango.
The group entered the United States via El Paso, Texas, and the bus driver - who survived the crash - planned to switch with a relief driver once they reached Phoenix, about 30 miles north of the crash site, according to an official.