At least 13 people killed and more than 30 others left injured after a  violent early-morning crash in Palm Springs, California.  

According to the police, they responded to reports of a vehicle collision on Interstate 10 shortly after 5 a.m. (8 a.m. ET) and arrived to find the passenger bus blocking traffic. The rescue crews worked quickly to pull survivors out through bus windows, police said.  

The chief of the California Highway Patrol Border Division, Jim Abele, confirmed that the bus was operated by a Los Angeles-based tour company, USA Holiday Bus. The bus driver was killed, Abele said. While, the driver of the tractor-trailer sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital.

Poet Aleman, 21, said that, "The front part of the bus was completely merged into the rear of the semi-truck."

"The speed was so significant (that) when it hit the back, the trailer itself entered about 15 feet into the bus," Abele said.

"In almost 30 years, I've never been to a crash where there's been 13 confirmed fatal accidents," Abele said. "We're going to do everything we can to find out specifically what is the cause of this accident."

Abele said that the bus had been inspected by Highway Patrol annually since 2014 and as recently as this April and that "no mechanical deficiencies were noted."

Officials said, passengers were taken to the hospital. Charles Townsend, a trauma surgeon at the hospital, said that, "Most of the victims sustained facial trauma, which is usually a hallmark of people who are unrestrained."

Also Read: Hate crime charges filed against Sikh man attackers!

Nandini