San Onofre

Authorities Saturday continued their investigation of an accident that occurred late Friday in which two people were killed and eight others injured when a pickup truck loaded with illegal immigrants flipped over on Interstate 5 while fleeing U.S. Border Patrol officers near the San Diego-Orange County border, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The high-speed chase began about 9:05 p.m. when border patrol officers began pursuing the vehicle north of the San Onofre checkpoint after receiving information that the vehicle had been stolen, authorities said.

The fleeing truck, which carried eight illegal immigrants in its bed along with the driver and front cab passenger, reached speeds in excess of 100 m.p.h. and crossed all four northbound lanes of the freeway.

The truck then flipped over several times after the driver lost control near Cristianitos Road, throwing all eight passengers from the truck bed. The truck finally landed on its wheels near the center freeway divider, killing one passenger caught beneath, officials said.

The driver was killed after he escaped from a front window and jumped from a freeway bridge 100 feet into a culvert, investigators said. Neither the driver nor the deceased passenger had been identified Saturday by the San Diego county medical examiner’s office.

A second passenger was rescued by officers after he, too, jumped from the bridge but held on to a support beam until help arrived.

Officers said the injured passengers, identified as illegal immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador, included one woman. They were treated at nearby hospitals, mostly for minor injuries, officials said.