Arizona: At least seven people were killed when a minivan caught fire on Sunday morning after head-on with tractor trailer on Interstate 10 in Arizona, authorities reported.
The driver and his wife, who were hauling cases of soda, fled the cab of the truck after the vehicles were propelled off the roadway down a six-foot embankment before the van and cab burst into flames, said Carrick R. Cook, Department of Public Safety public information officer.
All seven occupants of the minivan are believed to be dead. Investigators are probing whether impairment or fatigue or mechanical failure might be factors.
A semi-truck was traveling west on I-10 about 11 a.m. Sunday near the rest stop, located at Mile Marker 87.1, about 50 miles west of Phoenix, when it crossed through the median and struck a car that was traveling east, Cook said. The collision pushed both vehicles into a culvert on the right shoulder of the eastbound lanes and the vehicles caught fire.
Eastbound lanes are closed and a detour is in place at the Salome Road exit, at milepost 81, azcentral.com quoted Cook as saying. The Arizona Department of Transportation is re-routing drivers along a 6 mile detour. The closure is expected to last until 6 p.m. Sunday.
No other information was immediately available.
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