2 killed in the fiery crash on the Pa. Turnpike Northeast Extension in Montgomery County

Two people were killed Saturday in a fiery crash involving a tanker truck and two other vehicles on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, closing all lanes between the Mid-County and Lansdale exits in Montgomery County for several hours, state police said.

Turnpike officials were alerted to the accident, which involved flammable liquid, at 10:26 a.m., said Larry Booze, operations center supervisor for the turnpike.

The accident occurred at mile marker 26, halfway between the two exits, when the northbound truck struck a vehicle that in turn rammed a car that had been slowed by a flat tire, state police spokesperson Myles Snyder said. The operator of the truck and the driver of the vehicle that was first hit by the truck were killed, Snyder said.

The driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries, he said.

As a result of the crash, southbound lanes were closed until 6 p.m., he said. The northbound lanes remained closed late Saturday night.

About 1 p.m., northbound traffic that was backed up on the highway was being turned around to head south in the northbound lanes to an emergency exit.

Before that, cars had shut off their engines and people were walking dogs along the shoulder. A couple kids were kicking around a soccer ball. The closed southbound lanes were empty, and some people had climbed over the road divider to run and stretch their legs there.