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Chinese and Italian tourists killed in crash near Yellowstone National Park | |
(about 13 hours later) | |
Chinese and Italian tourists were reportedly among seven killed in a collision between a tour bus and a truck near Yellowstone National Park on Thursday. | |
Eight others were injured when a Chevy pickup truck and a Mercedes passenger van carrying 14 sightseers crashed on a highway in eastern Idaho, said US police. Both vehicles caught fire. | |
Five Chinese tourists died in the Mercedes van, according to Chinese state media. But a local coroner said two Italian tourists also died, along with a Texas resident who was driving the Chevy pickup, which would amount to eight fatalities. | |
Police are still investigating the cause. The route where the crash took place leads into the park, which is now entering peak tourist season. | Police are still investigating the cause. The route where the crash took place leads into the park, which is now entering peak tourist season. |
"Tragically, six individuals in the van and the driver of the pickup died as a result of the crash," Idaho State Police said on Friday. | |
Five of the dead are citizens of China, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, citing a statement from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. | |
"The consulate expressed deep condolences for the dead and sincere sympathy to the injured and the families of those affected," Xinhua reported. | |
It added that Chinese officials had been in contact with the injured and the families of victims, and had asked US officials for a thorough investigation. | |
Fremont County coroner Brenda Dye told the New York Times that two victims were from Italy. | |
She also identified Isaiah Moreno, 25, of Texas, as the driver of the pickup truck. No other victims' identities have yet been disclosed. | |
The BBC has contacted Idaho State Police for clarity on the discrepancy on the death toll. | |
Idaho Governor Brad Little posted on X to say that he was praying for victims, and that his state was "working closely with local officials to get answers on what led to this terrible tragedy". | |
Police said an air ambulance flew some victims to hospital "due to the severity of the injuries". | |
A photo from a passerby near Yellowstone shows flames and billowing smoke near the wreck of the truck. | |
The witness who took the photo, local resident Roger Merrill, said he was on his way home when he saw the wreck. | |
Both vehicles were on fire, he said, and bystanders were trying to care for the survivors on the side of the highway. | Both vehicles were on fire, he said, and bystanders were trying to care for the survivors 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. "It's extremely busy." | "It is a very dangerous highway because it leads to the main entrance of Yellowstone National Park," he said. "It's extremely busy." |
The road was closed for seven hours while emergency teams treated victims and cleared the crash site, about 16 miles (25km) from Yellowstone's entrance. | The road was closed for seven hours while emergency teams treated victims and cleared the crash site, about 16 miles (25km) from Yellowstone's entrance. |
The oldest US national park, it covers nearly 3,500 sq miles in three states: Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. | |
It draws an average of four million tourists every year, with the majority of visitors coming between May and September, according to the National Park Service. | It draws an average of four million tourists every year, with the majority of visitors coming between May and September, according to the National Park Service. |