An SUV crashed into a truck, 27 people in it… At least 15 people died in the U.S.

At least 15 people died in the state of California, USA, when a sports utility vehicle (SUV) carrying a largely over-capacity truck collided with a truck.

According to CNN Broadcasting, AP News, and the Los Angeles Times (LAT), on the morning of the 2nd (local time), a sports utility vehicle (SUV) with 27 people on board and a large truck with gravel collided in the morning of the 2nd (local time) in Imperial County, southern California.

In this accident, 14 of the people in the SUV died at the scene, and 1 out of 6 injured people who were urgently transferred to a hospital near the scene of the accident were also killed. The rest of the injured were also transferred to other hospitals, but it is known that they were seriously injured, and there is a high possibility of further injuries.

Judy Cruise’s emergency room director at nearby El Centro Hospital, where the injured are being treated, said there were 27 people in SUVs. A hospital official explained, “It was a big accident,” and “the patients are in a difficult situation.”

Police are controlling the highway at the accident site and investigating the exact cause of the accident. However, it was not confirmed how 27 people boarded the SUV.

The Associated Press reported that SUV occupants may be farm workers, given that the accident is located in a rural area 160 km from San Diego and close to the Mexican border. In rural areas near the accident, harvesting of lettuce for winter and various vegetables is in full swing, he said.

A spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which has jurisdiction over the area, said it is investigating the entry and exit records of people on board the SUV. He speculated to the Associated Press that “there is a rare SUV occupant of that degree,” and that “we don’t know the passenger’s identity, but maybe they were farm workers.”

Reporter Han Young-hye [email protected]