At least seven died and eight were injured in a collision on Thursday between a pickup truck and a tour van with foreign tourists on a highway leading to a popular destination in US’ Yellowstone National Park, Idaho State Police said.
Both vehicles caught fire upon collision. The Mercedes tourist van had 14 people onboard, out of which six were killed in the accident. The pickup truck driver - identified as Isaih Moreno of Humble, Texas - was also killed.
The injured were taken to the hospital. The identification of the remaining victims is still underway. Fremont County coroner, Brenda Dye, that the DNA test results of remaining six victims are awaited since the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
According to Idaho State Police, the crash happened in the evening around 7:15 PM on the U.S. Highway 20 in eastern Idaho, AP reported. The state park is situated 26 kilometers west of Yellowstone National Park. Police said yesterday that the Fremont County sheriff라이브 바카라 deputy arrived on the scene soon after the crash and helped the van occupants escape the fire.
The reason for the accident is being investigated. The pickup Dodge Ram truck was traveling west while the Mercedes tourist van was traveling east toward Yellowstone.
“We are keeping the victims of the devastating tour van accident near Yellowstone in our prayers. The state of Idaho is working closely with local officials to get answers on what led to this terrible tragedy,” Idaho Governor Brad Little said on X.
Two of the seven dead were from Italy, the domicile of the rest is unknown.
Roger Merrill - who was driving home - recorded the video of the aftermath of the crash with bystanders helping the victims.
He said that the route is considered dangerous since it leads directly to the main entrance of Yellowstone. He also added that due to the remote location, it took time for help to reach.
“It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location,” he said.
Two of the injured were flown to an Idaho Falls hospital while another was flown to a Bozeman, Montana, hospital, AP reported. Their conditions are unknown.
