Bus crash wrecks Coup, Mr. Lif tour

Harrowing crash spells doom for remainder of tour, with several members of the tour sustaining major injuries.

Shortly after their performance at San Diego's House of Blues last weekend, the tour bus carrying the Coup and Mr. Lif reportedly careened off a roadway in nearby Imperial, rolled down a steep drop-off, and burst into flames.

Although everyone on board was able to escape the vehicle before it caught fire, several members of the artists' crew sustained major injuries and the tour has been canceled.

Definitive Jux label head El-P released a statement explaining the accident, saying that everything on the bus was destroyed by the fire that engulfed it soon after it crashed.

"Approximately 40 miles outside of San Diego the tour bus that Mr. Lif, the Coup, DJ Big Wiz, Metro, and other friends of theirs were on flipped over and burst into flames," El-P said. "Miraculously, everyone managed to escape with their lives. There were injuries suffered in varying degrees ranging from minor to serious, but everyone is essentially OK and getting treated in various hospitals."

Def-Jux DJ Big Wiz, Mr. Lif's merchandise assistant, Silk-E, a member of the Coup's band, and the tour's bus driver all sustained major injuries and were taken to hospitals in nearby Palm Springs.

"Everyone else is battered but relatively unscathed," El-P said.

In a message posted to his MySpace page, Mr. Lif said he would update fans as soon as possible about rescheduling tour dates. The tour was scheduled to hit Boulder and Denver before heading to the Midwest and the East Coast for a series of shows.

"We appreciate all concern and would like to thank everyone who was planning to attend our shows," he wrote.

The Coup was touring behind their latest album, Pick a Bigger Weapon, while Mr. Lif was touring in support of his album, 'Mo Mega.