Tour van crash near Yellowstone National Park leaves 7 dead, police say

Seven people have died after a tour van and pickup truck collided near Yellowstone National Park, according to Idaho State Police.

The fatal accident happened Thursday night on U.S. Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake State Park in eastern Idaho, located about 16 miles west of Yellowstone in Wyoming.

“At approximately 7:15 p.m., ISP troopers responded to the collision at milepost 399. The crash involved a Dodge Ram pickup and a Mercedes passenger van. There were 14 occupants in the van and one occupant, the driver, in the pickup. Tragically, six individuals in the van and the driver of the pickup died as a result of the crash,” Idaho State Police said.

“The van was operating as a tour vehicle. Due to the magnitude of the incident and the ongoing process of notifying the next of kin, no names, ages, hometowns, or nationalities have been released. Once available, the Fremont County Coroner’s Office will provide information,” it continued.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation Friday.

Roger Merrill, 60, told the Associated Press he was driving home when he saw the flames engulfing the two vehicles as bystanders tried to care for survivors from the van on the side of the highway. Merrill said he often sees tourist vans on the highway that leads to Yellowstone National Park.

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Due to the remote location, Merrill said he anxiously awaited the help of first responders.

“It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location,” he said.

“U.S. Highway 20 was fully closed for nearly seven hours while emergency responders and the Idaho Transportation Department worked to manage the scene and clear the roadway. The road is open for regular traffic,” Idaho State Police said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.