Fatal Crash Near Yellowstone National Park Claims Seven Lives
A devastating collision between a pickup truck and a tour van occurred on US Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern Idaho on Thursday evening, resulting in seven fatalities and eight injuries. The crash happened just before 7:15 pm local time.
The tour van, a Mercedes vehicle carrying 14 people, was traveling east toward Yellowstone National Park when it collided with a westbound Dodge Ram pickup truck. Both vehicles caught fire following the impact.
The Idaho State Police reported that the driver of the pickup truck and six passengers in the tour van died in the crash. The victims in the van included foreign tourists, with reports indicating that five Chinese citizens and two individuals from Italy were among the deceased.
The pickup truck driver was identified as 25-year-old Isaih Moreno from Humble, Texas. The identities of the other victims are pending DNA test results due to the severity of their injuries.
Eight people survived the crash, with some receiving assistance from police officers and bystanders as the van burst into flames. The Chinese consulate in San Francisco confirmed that five Chinese nationals were killed and eight were injured in the accident.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police. The collision occurred in clear weather conditions on a road approximately 26 kilometers west of Yellowstone National Park.
The Fremont County coroner, Brenda Dye, told The New York Times that identifying the victims would take time due to the condition of their bodies. The incident has drawn international attention due to the nationalities of the tourists involved.
