At least 15 people were killed in an SUV crash with a semi in Southern California, hospital authorities say

• At least 15 people were killed Tuesday when an SUV and a semitruck crashed in Imperial County, California.
• Officials from the El Centro Regional Medical Center said 27 passengers were in the SUV.
• Fourteen people died at the scene, and one died in the hospital, the officials said.

At least 15 people were killed Tuesday morning when an SUV and a semitruck crashed in Southern California, according to hospital authorities.

Officials from the El Centro Regional Medical Center said in a Facebook Live broadcast that 27 passengers were in the SUV that struck a truck full of gravel in Imperial County, about 100 miles east of San Diego. Fourteen people died there, said Judy Cruz, the emergency-room managing director.

Survivors were taken to area hospitals. Seven were transported to El Centro Regional Medical Center, where one person died, Cruz said.

Christián Galeno, a local news reporter, tweeted a picture of the crash.

—Christián Galeno TV (@chrisgalenotv) March 2, 2021

"The patients are, of course, going through a little bit of a difficult time, as you can imagine," said Dr. Adolphe Edward, the hospital's CEO. "This was a major accident, and we are taking care of them in the emergency-room department."

El Centro Regional Medical Center called for air support from nearby hospitals to transport some patients, Cruz said.

Edward said the hospital wasn't releasing additional information about the patients but would update the public later Tuesday.