Three marines were among four people killed in a horror car crash that saw their vehicle split in two and passengers flung onto the roadside.
The US Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton were among four people killed in a car crash in Downey, California when a Dodge Charger, travelling at a high speed, collided with a bridge abutment.
The car split in two and two passengers were ejected onto the roadside while the driver and front passenger were trapped inside the burning vehicle.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire, but all four occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities identified three of the four deceased individuals as 26-year-old Daniel Nichols, 27-year-old Joshua Moore Jr. and 21-year-old Rodrigo Zermeno Gomez.
The name of the fourth person has not been released.
California Highway Patrol said in a statement: "Preliminary information indicates that the driver lost control of the vehicle at a high rate of speed causing the vehicle to collide with a guardrail and the bridge abutment of the Lemoran Avenue pedestrian overcrossing.
"The force of the impact caused the vehicle to split in two, subsequently ejecting the two rear passengers onto the right shoulder.
"The driver and front passenger remained inside the front portion of the vehicle which became fully engulfed in flames against the sound barrier wall."
The deceased were all active-duty Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton.
They were assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
The crash occurred shortly before 3am on Saturday, June 24 and is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
Chilling pictures of the scene show the wreck of the utterly destroyed car as emergency services attempt to put out the fire.
It is not clear who was the driver of the vehicle.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact the Santa Fe Springs CHP Area Office at 562-868-0503.
