DOLAN SPRINGS, Ariz. (AP) — A tour bus overturned on a highway near the Hoover Dam on Friday, killing seven Chinese nationals and injuring at least 15 others, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

Six fatalities were confirmed at the scene, about 190 miles northwest of Phoenix; a seventh person died at a Las Vegas hospital, said Cmdr. Dean Nyhart with DPS.

Nyhart said the bus was traveling north on U.S. 93 when it veered left and then right across the median. It rolled at least once before stopping.

He believes all but one of the victims killed at the scene had been ejected from the bus.

Officials investigate the scene of a tour bus crash U.S. Highway 93 near Dolan Springs, Ariz. Friday, Jan. 30, 2009. The Arizona Department of Public Safety says a tour bus overturned on a highway nea

Nyhart said five people had suffered life-threatening injuries. “We’re hopeful that those people can be stabilized and at least the death toll stop where it is,” he said.

The driver of the bus was among those in critical condition, he said.

Nyhart said the tourists on the bus were Chinese nationals who had flown from Shanghai to San Francisco. Investigators were still searching for the bus manifest for more details on its route.

He said investigators were struggling to identify the injured and were not certain how many passengers were on the bus or how many had been transported to hospitals.

“We’re hearing anywhere from 15 to 20. So we’re not even sure how many people were on board,” he said. “We have passports, but it’s going to be very difficult to ID the dead because those that are still alive are in critical condition. Many of the passports were left in the luggage as people were transported.”

Nyhart said the bus could hold 24 passengers.

The crash closed down U.S. 93 in both directions. The highway is the main route between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

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By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Writer Mark Carlson contributed to this report from Phoenix, AP Writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed from Las Vegas.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.