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| Scene of the accident |
(Scroll down for video) A deadly minivan tractor-trailer crash occurred overnight on an upstate New York highway, according to a statement released by the New York State Police.
Seven people, including four children, were killed when a tractor-trailer collided with a minivan on a rural two-lane highway in the state of New York, officials said Wednesday.
The tractor-trailer drove south around 6:00 pm on Route 13 about 25 miles south of Syracuse when the trailer became disconnected and crossed the center line, hitting a minivan carrying eight people, according to Capt. Mark Helms, from the Cortland County Sheriff’s Department.
The force of the impact tore the minivan apart, and both vehicles landed on the shoulder of the road.
"It was an accident," Helms said.
Authorities have not released the identities of the dead, but they were all passengers in the van. Two people in the truck were not injured, Helms said.
Officials did not say what caused the accident.
The National Weather Service in Binghamton said there were thunderstorms and constant rain, including hail, in the area around Truxton Wednesday night.
Cortland County Coroner Whitney Meeker confirmed that seven people were killed in the accident. She said there was one survivor, who was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.
She also said children were among the dead.Mobile video not loading? Click here to view