3 Killed and At Least 18 Injured After Charter Bus Rolls Off San Diego Highway

Three people are dead and at least 18 are injured after a bus rolled over a highway embankment in San Diego County, California.

North County Fire said on Twitter Sunday that the incident occurred on southbound 15 south of 76 Highway. Multiple people were trapped and injured after the crash.

“We are brokenhearted to report we have 3 deceased on scene,” the fire department later tweeted, also confirming that 18 people were injured and sent to nearby hospitals.

California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe told NBC News that the charter-style bus crashed at around 10:23 a.m. There were reportedly 22 people on board, and the driver sustained minor injuries.

Multiple passengers were thrown from the bus, and one of the dead was trapped under the vehicle, North County Fire Protection District spokesman John Choi said, according to the Associated Press. Another person who died was trapped inside.

“There was a pretty good rainstorm around the time of the crash,” said Choi, who added that the bus had no seat belts, according to the AP.

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A witness told NBC San Diego that he saw the bus hydroplane from the third lane to the fourth lane. The bus then lost control and veered to the right about 200 yards in front of his car, he claimed.

The bus was headed from the Los Angeles area to the community of San Ysidro on the Mexican border, the California Highway Patrol told NBC San Diego.

The incident involving the bus, which was owned by Executive Lines Inc., is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.