Eight people killed as truck crashes into crowd at race

An OFF-road truck ploughed into a crowd moments after sailing off a jump at a California race, killing eight people and injuring 12 others.

The crash came shortly after the start of the California 200, a Saturday evening race in the Mojave Desert, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Bachman. Six people died at the scene and two others died in hospital, authorities said.

"There was dust everywhere, people screaming, people running," David Conklin, a photographer covering the event for off-road magazines, said.

Mr Conklin said the Prerunner truck was among the first 20 off the line in the race, which began at about 8pm. It had just gone over a jump known as "The Rockpile" about two miles into the race. Mr Conklin said he watched the truck sail through the air, then he turned to watch for other vehicles when he heard the commotion of the crash.

He said: "I could tell that several people were trapped. There were just bodies everywhere. One woman with a major head wound (was] lying in a pool of blood. Someone else was crushed beneath the car."

The truck came to a rest upside down; spectators rushed to the truck and flipped it upright to try to help at least one person pinned underneath.

Officials said the driver wasn't hurt, but had to flee the scene to escape angry spectators.