At least eight people have died, and more than two dozen wounded, after a Mexican tour bus crashed into two other vehicles on a mountain road in Southern California.

The accident occurred at about 6:30pm local time along State Highway 38, around 80 miles east of Los Angeles. The bus, carrying 43 people from Tijuana in Mexico, collided with a truck trailer and a smaller vehicle. Some of the passengers were said to have been thrown from the bus, while others were trapped inside.

The hilly terrain meant that it took rescue services two hours to get everyone out of the bus. At least 15 people are reported to have life-threatening injuries, whilst another seven have non-life-threatening injuries.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez said that the bus driver reported having brake problems as the vehicle came down the mountain towards Big Bear Lake, a popular mountain ski resort northeast of San Bernardino.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner