At Least 15 Killed in California Traffic Wreck

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El CENTRO, Calif. (AP) — Hospital officials say an SUV believed to be carrying 27 people crashed into a semitruck in Southern California, killing 15 people and leaving others injured.

Judy Cruz, director of El Centro Regional Medical Center’s emergency department, said 14 people died at the scene and another died after arriving at the hospital.

Officials believe there were 27 people in an SUV that struck a tractor-trailer full of gravel. Multiple patients have been flown to hospitals for their injuries.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

The crash occurred in the agricultural southeastern corner of California on a highway running through fields in the Holtville area about 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) east of San Diego.