May 03, 2025 01:56 AM IST
Seven people were killed and eight others were injured in a fiery crash involving a pickup truck and a tour van in eastern Idaho
Seven people were killed after a fiery collision between a pickup truck and a tour van on an eastern Idaho highway near Yellowstone National Park, Idaho State Police said on Friday, per ABC News.
7 killed, 8 injured in fiery collision near Yellowstone National Park
The deadly crash happened just before 7:15 pm on Thursday when a Mercedes passenger van collided with a Dodge Ram pickup on US Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake State Park. Both vehicles caught fire, the Idaho State Police said in a press release, per AP.
The Idaho state park is about 16 miles (26 kilometres) west of Yellowstone National Park. Air ambulances and emergency paramedics responded to the collision, following which, the US Highway 20 was closed for nearly seven hours, but has since reopened. The cause of the horrific accident currently remains under investigation.
Police spokesman Aaron Snell revealed that six out of the 14 people in the van lost their lives. Meanwhile, the eight surviving passengers were transported to a hospital with injuries. The driver of the pickup truck was also killed in the crash.
Roger Merrill was driving home when he saw the flames engulfing the two vehicles. The 60-year-old saw bystanders tending to the survivors from the van on the side of the highway. “It is a very dangerous highway because it leads to the main entrance of Yellowstone National Park,” he said, adding, “It’s extremely busy.”
Merrill further shared that he often sees tourist vans on the highway that leads to Yellowstone National Park. He was able to capture a video of the wreckage with smoke bellowing from the van.
Due to the remote location, Merrill said he anxiously awaited the help of first responders. “It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location,” he added, according to the outlet.
