Officer Jake Sanchez, a spokesman for California Highway Patrol, said the Ford S.U.V. had a maximum legal capacity of seven or eight people.
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Who are the victims?
The authorities were still trying to identify some of the passengers in the crash by about noon local time, Chief Watson said. None were named publicly.
The dead ranged in ages from 20 to 55, he said, and at least one of the injured passengers was as young as 16; the oldest was 65. He also did not identify the nationalities of those injured, but said that the authorities had reached out to the Mexican Consulate for help, and that it was not yet clear whether any of the passengers were American citizens. The S.U.V. driver was among the dead, he said.
Dr. Adolphe Edward, the chief executive of the El Centro medical center, said he believed that the victims were undocumented migrants. “This is a major accident with major trauma,” he said.
Macario Mora, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Yuma and El Centro, said the agency was assisting other law enforcement officials with the investigation. He said the immigration status of those in the vehicle was unknown and was still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
Chief Watson said the truck driver had “moderate” injuries and was taken to a hospital. The chief declined to identify him publicly.
What else do we know?
Several state agencies responded to the crash scene, including the California Highway Patrol and the El Centro Fire Department. At least one federal agency, Customs and Border Protection, also responded.
But there are many outstanding questions for law enforcement officials and others to answer, including the basics of who was in the vehicles, where they were traveling to and from, and what might have caused the crash itself. It is also unclear whether the case could become a criminal investigation or whether anyone involved could face charges.