A car plowed into a Southern California tribal hall during a funeral Thursday, sending eight people to the hospital, authorities said.

The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. at the tribal hall of the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, near the desert community of Thermal, KESQ-TV reported.

One person had serious injuries, three others had moderate injuries and four had minor injuries, fire officials said. The driver was among those hurt.

Video showed a gaping hole in the building and a photograph showed a sport-utility vehicle with a wrecked front end smashed up against an interior wall of the building after apparently plowing all the way through the hall.


There was no word on what caused the crash, and no other details were released.

