Four North Seattle College students were killed Thursday morning after a "Ride the Ducks" tour vehicle crashed into a charter bus.
The crash on the Aurora Bridge, which also involved other cars, also left at least 12 people in critical condition, the Seattle Fire Department said.
About 50 people were evaluated by emergency responders and at least 44 people were hospitalized, Sue Stangl, a spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department, told local media in a briefing shortly after the crash.
The Ride the Ducks amphibious vehicle, or "duck boat," swerved into the charter bus, which was carrying around 48 international students and their professors from the North Seattle College on an orientation trip, as well as a number of other tourists, KOMO news reported. All four of those pronounced dead at the scene were NSC students from China, a spokesperson for the Chinese consulate said.
Fifteen people had mild injuries, Stangl said. About 30 people were deemed "walking injured" by EMT. At least one pregnant woman was involved in the crash, a nurse told local media.
Many of the tourists managed to extract themselves from the wreckage before the fire department arrived. Ninety firefighters responded to the scene. It is not yet known what caused the crash.
In a briefing Thursday morning, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said his thoughts are with those affected by the crash and their families.
The Aurora Bridge remained closed as investigators worked at the scene, affecting traffic around Seattle.
The deceased were identified by the college Friday morning as Claudia Derschmidt, a 49-year-old from Austria; Privaudo Putradauto, 18, from Indonesia; Mami Sato, 37, from Japan; and a 17-year-old student from China. The student from China's name remains withheld due to her age.
Ride the Duck amphibious vehicles offer tours in many large U.S. cities via road and water.
The safety of the vehicles has been called into question in the past following other crashes.
In 2010, Ride the Ducks gained national attention when a barge crashed into one of its boats on the Delaware River, killing two. In May, a Ride the Ducks vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian in Philadelphia.
The Ride the Ducks headquarters is closed. The area is usually busy http://t.co/oQeRCxCRQh
Correction
The four students who died were riding on the charter bus at the time of the crash. A previous version of this story misstated which vehicle they were in.