Bus crash leaves 4 dead, 30 injured near Utah national park

A tour bus with 30 passengers crashed near a national park in southern Utah on Friday, killing at least four people, authorities told CBS Salt Lake City affiliate KUTV. The Utah Highway Patrol said 12 to 15 victims suffered "very" critical injuries. An additional 10 had minor to serious injuries.

The bus carried 31 people, including the driver, as part of a Chinese-speaking tour group. It hit a guard rail and rolled over near a highway rest stop about 7 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park. The road has since been closed.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the incident.

According to KUTV, ambulances and rescue crews were dispatched to the scene. Bryce Canyon is known for its distinctive landscape of narrow red-rock spires and is located about 300 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Chinese tourists are the fastest-growing group of tourists to visit Utah, and more than half travel on tour buses, Vicki Varela, managing director of Utah Office of Tourism, told The Associated Press.

The Chinese Embassy tweeted that it was saddened to hear about the crash and that it was sending staff to help the victims.