SOUTHLAND: BRIEFLY : BIG RIG SMASHES CAR; AT LEAST THREE KILLED.

BELL GARDENS - A tractor-trailer rig hauling sand slammed into the rear end of a sedan Saturday, killing at least three people and backing up freeway traffic for miles, authorities said.

The sand hauler hit the car on Interstate 710, known as the Long Beach Freeway, at about 1 p.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Lane.

The truck remained upright while it and the car caught fire.

Three people, possibly two adults and a child, died in the car. The victims could not immediately be identified.

Hours later, crews were still working to separate the twisted wreckage, said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Henry Rodriguez. Other bodies could be inside the car wreckage about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, he said.

The truck carried only one person, the driver, who was uninjured.

?13Associated Press 

Rare infection strikes 2nd youngster in O.C.

ORANGE - A 12-year-old girl who contracted a rare bacterial infection that killed her classmate was listed in critical condition Saturday at Children's Hospital of Orange County.

The girl, whose name hasn't been released, fell sick on the same day as Kori Emer, also 12 and a Costa Mesa seventh-grader. Emer died at the hospital Thursday from complications of meningococcal infection.

Officials at health agencies and Costa Mesa High School have been inundated with calls from parents ever since.

Officials are attempting to track down all who had close contact with the girls because they need to take a preventive antibiotic, said Dr. Hildy Meyers, medical director of communicable disease control and epidemiology at the Orange County Health Care Agency.

``Close contacts are household members, a best friend and people who might have shared a drinking cup or utensils or food,'' she said. ``Just being in the same classroom does not put you at greater risk.''

Costa Mesa High School includes grades seven through 12.

The disease has an incubation period of one to seven days, Meyers said. She said it usually starts suddenly with an intense headache and fever. There may be nausea and vomiting, and a rash may develop.

?13Associated Press

Refinery explosion injures four workers

PARAMOUNT - Investigators on Saturday tried to determine what caused a refinery explosion that injured four workers and shook surrounding neighborhoods in southeast Los Angeles County.

County fire officials and Paramount Petroleum Corp. safety inspectors were hunting for clues to the blast, said Paramount Vice President Ken Palmer.

The blast occurred in a heating unit just before 10 p.m. Friday as workers were trying to start a device that removes sulfur from diesel fuel, Palmer said.

One employee, whose face was burned, was treated at a hospital and released. Three others were examined at the scene for minor injuries but did not require further treatment, he said.

The fire was quickly doused by the refinery's internal sprinkler system, and hazardous materials teams found no problems, said Christa Tolliver, a communications supervisor for the county Fire Department.

?13Associated Press