At least 5 killed, dozens hurt in Calif. bus crash

SOLEDAD, Calif." A bus carrying French tourists overturned on a central California highway overpass Tuesday afternoon, killing at least five and injuring dozens of others, authorities said.

The crash, which occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m., ejected four passengers from the vehicle, sending one over the side of the road and onto railroad tracks 60 to 70 feet below, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Wiest. Luggage and bodies were strewn on U.S. 101 in Soledad, about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco.

"It's a tragedy," Wiest said. "It's certainly one of worst I've seen in a long time."

Maia Carroll, a spokeswoman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services, said there were at least five confirmed deaths " three who died at the scene, including the passenger who fell to the railroad tracks, and two who later died at hospitals.

A total of 36 people had been on board, including 34 French tourists, one Canadian tour guide and an American driver, Wiest said. Nine hospitals were treating patients, including seven who were airlifted to Fresno and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Four of those injured were under the age of 18, including a 13-year-old girl who was airlifted to Fresno, Wiest said. The driver was among those who survived the crash, according to the CHP.

Jacques de Noray, a spokesman for the French consulate in San Francisco, said authorities had notified his office that the crash involved French citizens, but said he had no further details.

The tour, which had started in San Francisco, was en route to Southern California, where the tourists were due to fly out of Los Angeles back to France, Wiest said. The group had been in the U.S. since April 19 and made stops Tuesday in Monterey and Carmel before the crash, authorities said.

The maroon bus, bearing the name Orion Pacific, lay on its side after crashing into the guard rail on the two-lane southbound overpass. Authorities were investigating the cause of the crash.

"At this time, it appears to just be a solo-vehicle incident, meaning just the tour bus itself was involved," Wiest said.

A person who answered the phone at Orion Pacific, which describes itself as a family-owned, luxury charter coach company based in Orange, said no one was available for comment. It was not immediately clear who had chartered the bus.

CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader in Sacramento could not comment on Orion Pacific's safety record pending the accident investigation. The company has been operating since 1985, according to its Web site.

The Red Cross was helping coordinate housing and other services Tuesday night for three families who survived the crash and were released from hospitals, said Paula Herrera, executive director of the Monterey-San Benito chapter.