At Least 9 Dead in SUV Rollover South of Phoenix

08/07/2008

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) _ A packed sport utility vehicle rolled over on a rural highway southwest of Phoenix, killing at least nine people Thursday, authorities said. The SUV that rolled on State Route 79, about 80 miles southeast of Phoenix, had 19 people aboard, Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said. The other 10 occupants were injured and were taken to hospitals in Phoenix and Tucson. Images from a television helicopter showed a crumpled white SUV along the road and what appeared to be a row of bodies covered with tarps. DPS Officer Carmen Figueroa said the 1990 GMC Suburban was heading north Thursday morning when it ran off the road, hit something and rolled, ending up on its top. The roof caved in when the SUV rolled. No other vehicles were involved, and all the victims are adults, Figueroa said. She added that authorities are still trying to determine which of the crash victims was the driver. The roadway was expected to be closed for several hours. Crashes involving vehicles overloaded with illegal immigrants are fairly common in Arizona. It was not immediately clear whether the victims of Thursday's crash were illegal immigrants, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Vinnie Picard said agents were headed to the scene to investigate. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.