Twin Among 10 Dead In Fiery Orland Bus, Truck Crash
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) -- One of two identical twins who was on a bus that was involved in an explosive freeway collision Northern California was among the 10 dead, a family member said Friday.
Marisa Serrato, 17, has been missing since Thursday evening after a FedEx tractor-trailer slammed into the bus carrying 44 high school students headed to tour Humboldt State University, said her brother Miguel Serrato, 23.
The other twin, Marisol Serrato, was on a different bus that wasn't involved in the crash and made it safely to the school.
The family had no word on Marisa for nearly 24 hours before dental records confirmed she was among the dead. Miguel Serrato said Marisol called their father Friday evening after going to see her sister's badly burned body.
"Marisol is devastated," the tearful brother said. "She thinks it's her fault, that it was her idea to go look at the university."
The crash happened near Orland, a small city about 100 miles north of Sacramento.
Marisol was accepted to Humboldt State University, while Marisa was wait-listed there. The two seniors from Norte Vista High School in Riverside decided to check out the campus.
"My sisters are real religious, smart, A students," Miguel Serrato said. "They were going to get their high school diploma; they were looking toward the future."
Serrato said his family learned about the crash while celebrating their father's 65th birthday. They spent a sleepless, agonizing night trying to learn the fate of Marisa, or "Marisita" as the family calls her. He said she was the baby of the family because she was born five minutes after her identical twin.
Another Norte Vista student also was on the bus that crashed and was in stable condition at a hospital.
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