At least 13 people were killed and about a dozen others were taken to hospitals after a gravel truck slammed into an overloaded SUV just north of the U.S.-Mexico border,authorities said.
The crash occurred at State Route 115 and Norrish Road, at about 6:15 a.m. PT in Imperial County, about 15 miles from the border, the highway patrol said.
A maroon Ford Expedition filled with 25 passengers was hit by a semitruck full of gravel, the California Highway Patrol said.
The dead included some Mexican citizens and they ranged in age between 20 and 55, authorities said, while the injured were between 16 and 55.
An area hospital had initially said at least 15 had died, but CHP later clarified the numbers.
The semi was headed north on 115, south of Norrish, while the Ford was traveling west on Norrish, just east of 115, officials said.
"At this point it's unknown whether or not the Expedition stopped at the stop sign, but it did enter the intersection in front of the big rig," CHP Border Division Chief Omar Watson told reporters. "Subsequently the big rig collided with the left side of the Ford Expedition."
Twelve people, including the Ford driver, were pronounced dead at the scene and another person died at the hospital, officials said.
"Obviously that vehicle is not meant for that many people," Watson said of the Ford. "It's unfortunate that number of people were put into that vehicle because there's not enough safety restraints to safely keep those people within the vehicle. There were numerous people that were ejected into the roadway as a result of this collision."
The CHP is in contact with the Mexican consulate in hopes of notifying next of kin.
It wasn't immediately clear the rates of speed of both vehicles.
