1 passenger dead after fire erupts on tour bus on California freeway: Authorities
Fire crews found an unaccounted passenger dead on the bus, CHP said.
A fire erupted on a tour bus that was traveling on a highway in Southern California, leaving one passenger dead, authorities said.
The incident occurred Friday morning on State Route 60 in Hacienda Heights, southeast of downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
The Mercedes Bus experienced "mechanical difficulties" while traveling east on the freeway, according to CHP. When the driver pulled to the shoulder, "he observed smoke emitting from the rear of the vehicle," CHP said in a press release.
The driver and passengers evacuated as the bus caught fire, authorities said. Fire crews located an unaccounted passenger dead on the bus upon extinguishing the blaze, CHP said.
The identity of the deceased passenger is unknown at this time and will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, CHP said.
The incident remains under investigation.
Aerial footage by ABC Los Angeles station KABC showed the burnt bus on the shoulder, with luggage stacked along the side of the freeway.
Authorities did not say where the bus had been traveling from or its destination.
Two lanes on the freeway remained closed in the area of the incident amid the investigation into the bus fire, CHP said, while warning drivers to expect delays.