California Crash Leaves at Least 13 Dead Near U.S.-Mexico Border
California Highway Patrol officer Rick Baller stands next to his car as he guards the closed toll plaza leading to the San Francisco Bay Bridge October 28, 2009 in Oakland, California. The San Francisco Bay Bridge was abruptly closed Tuesday evening after two steel tie rods and a crossbeam from a steel saddle broke and fell onto the upper deck of the bridge landing on three vehicles and causing one person to suffer injuries. The eastern span of the bridge is undergoing seismic renovation and is expect to be completed in 2013. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

At least 13 people have been confirmed dead after a road mishap near the U.S.-Mexico border in California, Tuesday morning. The California crash involved an overloaded SUV with 25 people and a semi-truck, according to authorities.

Officers found 12 individuals dead on scene while another person died at a local hospital. The remaining eight individuals were transported to different local hospitals for life-threatening injuries, according to a Fox News report.

Meanwhile, the officials are not yet certain if the driver of the Ford Expedition had stopped at a stop sign before crossing into the path of the big rig. The driver of the Ford Expedition died in the crash, according to California Highway Patrol Chief Omar Watson.

The CHP did not immediately know why there were way too many people crammed inside the SUV as a Ford Expedition can only carry eight people legally. Watson said that the vehicle is not meant for that many people.

"It's unfortunate that that many people were put into that vehicle because there's not enough safety constraints to safely keep those people in that vehicle," Watson was quoted in a report.

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck was hauling two trailers of gravel and was hospitalized with moderate injuries. Officials are collaborating with the Mexican consulate to help identify the victims, as well as inform their families of what happened.

The victims are age from 20 to 55, with the youngest 16 being among the injured.

The Probe of the Incident

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson in Yuma and El Centro, Macario Mora, said that the border patrol was helping other law enforcement with the crash. Mora added that the immigration status of those in the SUV was unknown and being investigated, according to The Guardian report.

Watson said that numerous people were ejected from the vehicle while others were able to pull themselves out of the wreck. Injuries varied in severity from fractures, chest injuries to head traumas.

"Our staff has done a tremendous job getting everything ready for these patients and being able to handle them and get them transferred out to the appropriate places as soon as possible, or if we can take care of them here, they're being well taken care of as well," Dr. Shavonne Borchardt at El Centro Regional Medical Center was quoted in a Los Angeles Times report.

Five fire engines arrived at the scene, and 15 first responders were also deployed at the accident. The El Centro Fire Department and CBP officers also assisted at the scene.

Details about how the crash happened were not immediately available to the public as it is still currently still under investigation, according to a Daily Mail report.

However, CBP said that most of the survivors are Spanish-speaking. Watson said it is still early to know whether the occupants of the SUV were migrant workers or others who may have crossed from Mexico in the overcrowded vehicle, according to a Reuters report.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said that she was heartbroken to hear about the fatal crash, adding that her office is closely monitoring the incident as they try to learn more. Feinstein also thanked the first responders at the scene.

Also read: 11 Iranian Migrants Caught Illegally Crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border