(L.A.) Marina Diaz De Pacheco, 89, Died on a Tour Bus

Case Number: 2026-13211

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of an 89-year-old Hispanic female that occurred on the 60 Freeway.

The coroner’s office has identified the woman as Marina Diaz De Pacheco.

Manner and cause of death have not yet been officially announced by the medical examiner; the information will be added to this page as soon as it becomes available.

RIP MARINA DIAZ DE PACHECO ( August 21, 2026)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Friday.

The decedent was on a tour bus that caught fire on eastbound SR-60 at Azusa Avenue. The stretch is in the Hacienda Heights and City of Industry area.

California Highway Patrol responded at around 5:38 a.m.

Apparently, the driver had noticed a check engine light and pulled over. Smoke and flames then quickly emerged from the engine area at the rear of the bus.

The driver evacuated the vehicle as flames spread. There were about 18 passengers. Firefighters found one passenger lifeless inside the bus. Another passenger was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Viajes Azteca is the charter company that owns the bus. It specializes in trips from the U.S. to Mexico. The bus was heading to Bloomington to pick up more passengers before traveling to Mexico.

The intense blaze burned more than half of the bus, prompting a heavy emergency response. Investigators found luggage and several propane tanks in the cargo area, and they are determining if those tanks contributed to the fire. The incident triggered a SigAlert that closed multiple eastbound lanes for several hours, causing massive traffic delays back toward the 605 Freeway.

Map views show only an approximate location and do not represent the exact site of the incident.