LOS ANGELES _ At least five people were killed and numerous people seriously injured when a violent crash tore a charter bus down the middle early Tuesday on Highway 99 in Merced County, the California Highway Patrol said.
The northbound bus struck the support pole for a sign marking the Hammatt Avenue exit near the town of Livingston, Calif., CHP Officer Moises Onsurez told The Times. The crash occurred about 3:35 a.m., authorities said.
The pole split the white, unmarked bus down the middle, tearing through it as it kept moving forward after impact, Onsurez said. Video footage from the Merced Sun-Star showed firefighters climbing through windows in the early morning darkness, and a road lined with ambulances.
"This collision is a catastrophic event," Onsurez said.
About 30 passengers were aboard the vehicle, and some suffered major injuries, Onsurez said. About five people were flown to hospitals.
Authorities have identified the bus driver as 57-year-old Mario David Vasquez from Los Angeles, Onsurez said. Vasquez "sustained major injuries" and was hospitalized Tuesday morning, he said.
The bus originated in Mexico and had stopped in Los Angeles on Monday night, Onsurez said. It made a stop in Livingston and was headed to Washington, Onsurez said. Authorities have not yet been able to identify the bus company, he said.
As of 7:50 a.m., all survivors had been removed from the vehicle, but the deceased remained aboard, Onsurez said. Some of the survivors were taken to the CHP's Merced station.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, he said.
