Twenty people were hospitalized when a bus carrying 36 passengers from a church camp overturned on a winding and mountainous California highway Sunday night.
The crash happened around 9 p.m., according to the San Bernardino Fire Department.
“First-arriving crews arrived to find the bus on its side in a turnout, with subjects extricating themselves—including many through the vehicle’s roof hatch,” firefighters said.
The passengers were described as a mix of teenagers and adults, with 26 people said to have been injured. Three of those victims suffered what first responders called “major injuries.”
Passenger Cyntia Ramirez, 21, said the bus shook and swerved before flipping onto its side.
“It’s just a freak accident,” she said.
Ramirez said a youth leader pulled her out of the bus through a roof hatch.
The crash occurred about 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles on a tree-lined highway with an elevation of more than 6,000 feet. The bus was returning from a three-day youth retreat.
Fire Department photos show rescue workers tending to injured passengers outside the overturned bus. The response team was said to have included 11 engine companies and 11 ambulances.
Area firefighters participated in a February drill that simulated a wreck involving an overturned school bus with adults and teens on board, according to the San Bernardino Fire Department. Officials credit that training for the effectiveness of Sunday night’s rescue efforts.
California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.
With News Wire Services
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