LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Rain was believed to have caused the crash of a tour bus in Southern California carrying Thai tourists to Las Vegas.
Nineteen passengers were injured when the bus skidded off Interstate 15 and overturned in the desert Thursday after an intense thunderstorm drenched the area just west of the Nevada state line.
Six of the victims were critically hurt and all were either flown or driven by ambulance to University Medical Center in Las Vegas with broken bones and head injuries.
The Los Angeles Times said Friday that many of the passengers spoke no English and had trouble communicating with emergency crews as lightning and rain lashed the scene. The bus trip had originated in Orange County.
Eastbound I-15, the major road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, was shut down for about two hours.
