The bus crash took place on State Route 76, about 72 kilometeres north of San Diego, the North County Fire Protection District said.

A bus veered off a central California highway before dawn Tuesday and struck a pole that sliced the vehicle nearly in half, killing five people and sending at least five more to hospitals, some with lost limbs, authorities said.

The mother of a 17-year-old honours student who was among 10 people killed in a fiery Northern California bus crash sued FedEx on Tuesday.