Deadly overnight collisions near Blythe kill 4, several injured

Four people were killed Wednesday in collisions involving a tour bus, a big rig and a sedan on Interstate 10 near Blythe, authorities said.

Officials with Caltrans said all lanes of I-10 were reopened shortly after 4:30 p.m. The interstate was closed in both directions for several hours.

The collisions occurred near a border inspection station east of Blythe close to the California-Arizona border around 2:15 a.m. and resulted in the highway’s closure in both directions, a California Highway Patrol dispatcher reported.

Several people were injured and taken to hospitals by ambulances and six helicopters, he said.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 confirmed that three people were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in critical condition, and another person was treated and released from Eisenhower Medical Center.

Caltrans said a semi truck hauling steel pipe jackknifed on eastbound I-10 just west of the Arizona state line. Pipes were spilled into the eastbound and westbound lanes.

A tour bus traveling from El Paso, Texas to Los Angeles struck some of the pipes on the westbound side of the highway and overturned. Authorities said there were 32 passengers on the tour bus and four of them were killed.

Photos: 4 dead in tour bus crash