A fiery crash of a tanker truck and 2 cars kills at least 1 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike

WORCESTER, Pa. (AP) — A fiery crash involving a tanker truck and two passenger cars claimed the life of at least one person on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in southeastern Pennsylvania over the weekend, state police said.

Police said the crash occurred in the northbound lanes of I-476 on the turnpike’s Northeast Extension just before 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Worcester Township, Montgomery County.

The turnpike was closed in both directions due to debris and possible damage, and removal of the vehicles hadn’t been completed as police continued their investigation, police said.

Traffic was being diverted at the previous exits in both directions. Drivers trapped in the backlog were being urged to stay inside their vehicles “due to the severity of this incident.” The center barrier was being removed to allow people to turn around.

Turnpike officials said in a social media post that the highway would be closed in both directions through the evening rush hour and there was “no ETA to open the roadway.”

There was no immediate word on a possible cause of the crash. WPVI-TV reported that aerial video showed a scorched truck cab along with two other burned vehicles and fire crews spraying foam onto the tanker.