One person has died after a hazardous material spill in central California, and nine others were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Daryl Allen says the spill happened around noon Thursday in a rural area near Los Banos, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of San Jose.

He says sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and found the person who had died, along with another person who was being treated for exposure. Two ambulance staff and six deputies were also being treated for possible exposure.

Officials could not immediately say what the chemical was or how the spill occurred. Allen said it appeared to be an agricultural spray.

The California Department of Forestry and Environmental Protection was working to identify the hazardous material.