Eight people have been killed and 12 others injured after a truck ploughed into a crowd of spectators at a popular off-road race in southern California.
The accident happened at about 7.40pm (3.40am Irish time) at a race called the California 200, which is traditionally held in Soggy Dry Lake Bed near the city of Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert.
The crash is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol, which has sent its major accident investigation team to the location.
Local fire official Tim Franke told The Los Angeles Times that at least four of the injured were in serious condition and were taken by air ambulance to nearby hospitals.
According to a report by KCAL 9, a local Los Angeles television station, the accident happened at the beginning of the race, when one of the off-road trucks went off the track from the starting line and plunged into a crowd of spectators.
The dry lake is located about 165km northeast of Los Angeles.
The Times said the race was organised by Mojave Desert Racing, a Southern California corporation headquartered in South El Monte.
The corporate website says MDR organised 12 desert car races in a year for 20 different classes of vehicles and provided ‘an exciting, rewarding, and safe environment for off-road racing in four locations: Barstow, Lucerne Valley, Ridgecrest, and Plaster City.’
But KABC TV reported that amateur videos taken during last year's race showed off-road vehicles performing stunts close to spectators with only plastic netting separating them.
A total of 87 drivers were registered to take part in Saturday's race, The Times said.
