A tour bus overturned near George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Virginia after colliding head-on with a car Tuesday afternoon, leaving one person dead and 15 injured, authorities said.

US Park Police spokeswoman Sergeant Anna Rose said that 15 people were taken to hospitals following the crash; three of whom suffered critical injuries. The person who died was a bus passenger, Rose said.

The injured were rushed to three nearby Inova hospitals at Alexandria, Fairfax and Mount Vernon. Police talked to witnesses of the accident.

In an e-mail, Rose said that the mid-sized shuttle bus was carrying 16 tourists from the Chinese mainland, two tour guides and the driver, who was not injured. The car had two occupants.

At a news conference, Rose said the collision occurred shortly before 5 pm. The shuttle bus was traveling northbound on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the car was traveling south, Rose said.

When the two vehicles collided, the bus toppled on the driver's side and skidded, Rose said, adding that passers-by helped right the bus so passengers could escape.

Police closed sections of the parkway, which runs along the Potomac River between the nation's capital and Mount Vernon.

Fairfax County Police said they were assisting Park Police and directing families of the injured to the Mount Vernon police station.

Senior officials and staff from the consular section of the Chinese Embassy in Washington rushed to the hospitals to visit the injured, where they were treated. Police were talking to witnesses of the accidents.