Sunday Territorian

Kids die in crash flames Church van hit by truck

- STAFF WRITERS

US: Five children heading to Disney World in a church van from Louisiana died along with two truck drivers in a fiery crash in north Florida.

The children were travelling in a large passenger van, the Florida Highway Patrol’s Lt. Patrick Riordan said.

On Thursday, a big rig and a passenger vehicle collided in the northbound lanes of the highway and continued across the guardrail and into the path of another big truck and the church van, investigat­ors said.

“Once those semis struck, they both caught fire,” Lt. Riordan said.

He said a fifth vehicle came through and either struck people who had been ejected from the vehicle or debris. Some 200 litres of diesel fuel spilled, fuelling the fire. At least eight people were sent to the hospital.

Vinnie DeVita said he was driving south at the time and narrowly escaped the crash – he said he saw it happen in the rearview mirror, immediatel­y behind him.

“If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedl­y, I would have been in that accident,” Mr DeVita said. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”

The aftermath closed part of the highway in both directions.

Debris, including personal property and vehicle parts, was scattered across the road, the Florida Highway Patrol said. A helicopter helped search for any victims who may have been in nearby woods.

Nicole Towarek was travelling northbound with her family when they came across the scene. She told the Gainesvill­e Sun that black smoke billowed, people were laid out near vehicles, there were long skid marks across the roadway and emergency workers were converging on the area.

“We kept seeing these little explosions and fire,” she said.

It was the worst accident on I-75 in Alachua County since January 2012, when 11 people died in a chain-reaction crash attributed to heavy fog.

Officials were criticised then for not closing the road due to worsening conditions, and later installed cameras, sensors and large electronic signs to help prevent similar crashes.

 ?? Picture: AP ?? Flames engulf vehicles after a fiery crash in Florida. At least seven people were killed
Picture: AP Flames engulf vehicles after a fiery crash in Florida. At least seven people were killed

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