Fiery tanker truck crash leaves at least three dead on Pennsylvania Turnpike

At least three people have been found dead after a devastating crash between a tanker truck and two other vehicles on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday.

The Pennsylvania State Police confirmed on Sunday that a third person had died after the crash that had already left two dead from a fire that started when a tanker truck crashed into the back of the other vehicles.

Five people were involved in the crash, with one person in the tanker truck, two in a work van and two in an Acura sedan.

A third body was found at the crash site a while after the other two victims, believed to be a passenger of the work van that stopped for a sedan with a flat tire, according to police.

The sedan had stopped in the right lane of the highway; when the van pulled up to help and turned their hazard lights on, according to ABC7.

A huge tanker carrying jet fuel was unable to stop or move over in time and slammed into both vehicles, causing a huge outburst of fire.

Both people inside the van died, as well as the person who was driving the tanker truck.

A fourth person, the driver of the sedan, is currently in hospital, while the condition of the other person in the vehicle is currently unknown.

The Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that the hospitalised person had sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident happened at 10.41am and forced some residents close to the road to evacuate their homes for a short amount of time, CBS reported.

The tanker fire shut down all the lanes on the Turnpike’s Northeast Extension in Worcester Township in Montogomery County.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike announced on their X account around 3.37pm that they had an emergency road closure, asking all vehicles to make a U-turn and take detours.

The road section was opened again a day later on Sunday.

Hector Lucena, a passerby in a vehicle sometime after the crash, captured debris that had been spread meters down the road as other vehicles tried to swerve it.

He then got footage of the huge jet fuel tanker that had collided with the two vehicles, sending a shot of fire straight down the side of the road.

The identities of the three deceased have yet to be announced by Pennsylvania State Police, but the incident remains under investigation.