Officials: Tour bus crash near national park in Utah kills 4
Posted September 20, 2019 12:09 pm.
Last Updated September 20, 2019 3:38 pm.
SALT LAKE CITY — A tour bus crashed near a national park in southern Utah, killing at least four people, authorities said Friday.
The crash happened on the way to Bryce Canyon National Park just after 11:30 a.m. local time. There were 30 people on the bus, including the driver, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
It happened near a highway rest stop about 7 miles (11 kilometres) from the park entrance. The road has been closed.
#SR12BusCrash Update. We are still confirming four fatalities and 12-15 others with very critical injuries. We are confirming the tourists are Chinese speaking tourists. I am working on getting photos posted.
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) September 20, 2019
Further details were not immediately available, including the cause of the crash, Cpl. Chris Bishop said.
On Twitter, the highway patrol said the bus was transporting Chinese-speaking tourists. 17 people were taken to Garfield Memorial Hospital, three of whom were in critical condition, 11 in serious condition, and three in fair condition. Several were taken to hospital by air ambulance.
Police said officers were working to find people nearby who speak Chinese in order to help translate.
Bryce Canyon is known for its distinctive landscape of narrow red-rock spires and is located about 300 miles (480 kilometres) south of Salt Lake City.
