Arrests unlikely

By DARREN SIMON, Staff Writer

An arrest may prove elusive in the case where a van carrying as many as 27 illegal immigrants crashed on Interstate 8 near Holtville on Monday killing two people and injuring several others, federal authorities said.

“It appears to be a long shot in identifying the actual smugglers,” said Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mack’s comments have come as ICE has taken the lead in the investigation, trying to identify who was driving the van, which crashed while the driver was attempting to flee U.S. Border Patrol agents.

The crash killed suspected undocumented immigrants Samuel Ordilla Najera, 32, of Tianguistenco, Mexico, and Jose Estudillo Zamora, 27, of Salvatierra, Guanajuato, Mexico, the California Highway Patrol said.

At least six others suffered critical injuries, including two who were flown by helicopter from the scene to Yuma Regional Medical Center. Four others with critical injuries were treated at El Centro Regional Medical Center and Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley and then flown to San Diego hospitals.

Information on the conditions of those six was unavailable.