The cause of the crash is not yet clear, but California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the bus driver reported brake problems as he descended a road leading from the Big Bear ski resort area.

BBC: California bus crash kills eight and injures dozens

It covers a wide area around Los Angeles, with incidents reported from San Diego in the south to the mountain resort of Big Bear in the east.

CNN: LA cops stalked by suspect -- and a brutal past

The ex-Navy reservist died in a gunfight at a mountain cabin near the Big Bear Lake ski resort, after a massive manhunt across southern California.

BBC: US women shot by LAPD in Dorner manhunt get $4m payout