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EPA/UTAH HIGHWAY PATROL
At least four people died on the bus, which was carrying a group of Chinese tourists
A bus carrying Chinese tourists has crashed in the US state of Utah, killing at least four and critically injuring at least 12 more.
The vehicle was near Bryce Canyon National Park when it veered off road and hit a guard rail.
Of the 30 people on board, four were killed and the rest were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
“This is pretty overwhelming for a little county of 4,900 people,” Garfield County Commissioner told local broadcaster KSL.
Utah Highway Patrol said they received calls about the incident at 11:32 local time (17:32 GMT) on Friday morning, in the south of the state en route to the park.
Emergency vehicles – including three helicopters – quickly arrived at the scene and ferried the injured to hospital. The road has since reopened.
All the passengers were Mandarin speakers, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office told Reuters news agency, and the authorities have asked local Mandarin speakers to go to hospitals to help with translation.
China’s embassy in Washington tweeted that it has initiated its “emergency protocols” after the crash and sent staff to visit the injured.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert said his heart “sank” when he heard the news.
“I grieve with all who lost loved ones in this crash and I’m grateful for the quick work of first responders, as well as all those who are volunteering to act as translators,” he tweeted.
The crash reportedly took place about seven miles (11km) west of the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Famed for its distinctive rock spires, known as hoodoos, the park received close to 2.7 million visitors in 2018.