Authorities are investigating whether human smuggling was involved in a deadly crash in a remote California desert near the Mexican border.

An SUV packed with 25 people slammed into a tractor-trailer on Tuesday, killing the driver and 12 passengers. At least 10 people who died in crash were from Mexico.

Seats of the 1997 Ford Expedition were removed, making room for more people.

The area became a major route for illegal border crossings in the late 1990s after heightened enforcement in San Diego pushed migrants to more remote areas.