A tragic highway accident occurred near Yellowstone National Park on Thursday, resulting in seven deaths and eight injuries when a tourist van collided with a pickup truck. The crash happened about an hour and 15 minutes before sunset on U.S. Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake in eastern Idaho, approximately 20 miles west of Yellowstone. The Mercedes passenger van was carrying 14 tourists when it collided with a Dodge Ram pickup truck, after which it burst into flames, according to Idaho State Police.
The collision claimed the lives of six van occupants and the pickup truck driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle. All eight survivors from the van were hospitalized with various injuries, as reported by police spokesperson Aaron Snell. The identities of the victims were being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.
According to Fremont County coroner Brenda Dye, cited by The New York Times, the pickup driver was from Texas, while the six van occupants who died were international visitors, including two from Italy. News footage from the scene showed clear weather conditions, but authorities have not disclosed details about the accident’s circumstances.
Dye also reported that two eyewitnesses stopped their vehicle and managed to rescue eight people, including a child, from the van before it caught fire. The highway was closed in both directions for nearly seven hours as emergency crews worked to clear the scene and reopen the roadway.
