A crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike has left five people dead and 60 injured.
The accident happened around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday and involved three tractor-trailers, a tour bus, and a passenger vehicle, NBC Philadelphia reports. Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo initially shared the news on Twitter, later confirming the death and injury tolls to the Associate Press.
The crash took place in Westmoreland Country, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh. The turnpike was subsequently closed for an 86-mile stretch between New Stanton at Exit 75 and Breezewood at Exit 161, according to a tweet by DeFebo. A “prolonged closure” of the turnpike is “likely,” he wrote.
The tour bus had flipped on its side, DeFebo told The Tribune-Review. He said National Transportation Safety Board investigators were then called to the scene.
On Sunday, The National Weather Service forecast for the area was light, unknown precipitation and an air temperature just below freezing. DeFebo told AP it was “premature” to blame the weather as a factor in the crash.
