A car crash involving multiple vehicles in western Oregon left seven people dead and several other victims injured, police said.
Oregon State Police said officers and fire officials responded to the crash along Interstate 5 at approximately 2:05 p.m. when they found two semi-trucks and a passenger vehicle had collided in the northbound lanes.
The deceased included seven adults, but police did not specify the number of injured.
The crash happened about 7 miles north of Albany, near the Santiam rest area, police said. Albany is about 70 miles south of Portland and about 30 miles south of Salem, the state’s capital.
OREGON PAPER LAMENTS HOMELESS CRISIS, HIGH TAXES, VIOLENCE DRIVING RESIDENTS TO OTHER STATES
Oregon State Police troopers and firefighters clear the site of a wrecked tractor-trailer Thursday, May 18, 2023, along Interstate 5 in Albany, Ore. (Alex Powers/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP)
Oregon State Police troopers work near the site of a wrecked tractor-trailer Thursday, May 18, 2023, along Interstate 5 in Albany, Ore. (Alex Powers/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP)
Adrian Gonzalez, a witness of the crash scene, told the Statesman Journal that the passenger van appeared to have been crushed between the trucks: “Judging by the damage, it looked like the van was sandwiched.”
“It got hit very hard,” said Gonzalez, who also said two Life Flight helicopters transported victims away from the crash site.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.