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1 Dead, 24 Injured In Bus Accident Near Lake Gregory

LAKE GREGORY (CBS) — A church bus with up to 20 teens aboard slid over the side of a highway in a Southern California ski area after colliding with a county fire vehicle.


UPDATES:

According to CHP Officer Mario Lopez, the bus plunged down a ravine about 50 feet and sheered off a power pole before hitting the tree.

Authorities have not given any information on the fatality, but the tree impacted the bus on the driver's side, and church officials told CBS2 that the driver -- a male church volunteer -- was the one confirmed fatality.

Many on the bus were middle school students who had been at Pinecrest, a Christian camp along Highway 189 near Twin Peaks. Ten were seriously injured and 13 had minor to moderate injuries,
according to CBS2.
An off-duty firefighter and his wife who were in a red SUV fire vehicle that collided with the bus were also injured, according to CBS2.  Witnesses said there was "blood everywhere."  The response to the crash involved 11 ambulances, nine fire trucks and four helicopters, plus a throng of media.

EARLIER TODAY

The accident happened just before noon on Highway 189, just north of Lake Gregory.

Officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection say the bus was heading down the mountain and collided with a vehicle before it when off Highway 189, clipped several power poles and went into trees in a snowy area.

Authorities are now saying only one person was killed in the accident and about 24 others have been injured.

He says the bus fell about 20 feet over the side of the road after colliding with a San Bernardino County Fire Department vehicle and a power pole.

Peters tells KCAL9 that the bus belonged to Pasadena-based Light of Love Mission Church.

The accident occurred in an area popular with skiers about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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