Yellowstone tour van crash: Major police update after seven people killed in smash

A pickup truck which van near - killing seven people - veered into the oncoming lane, police say.

Investigators say the Dodge Ram truck careered into the passenger van which, in addition to the driver, was transporting twelve Chinese tourists and an Italian tourist. Five of the Chinese tourists, the Italian tourist and on Thursday evening.

While police have identified the truck crossed the centre line of the rural road, they say they are still investigating what caused Mr Moreno, 25, to do this. Idaho State Police understand the tour van was traveling east toward Yellowstone National Park when the smash happened near Henry’s Lake State Park on the US Highway 20. The tour van was registered to a company based in California, it is understood.

Both the truck - travelling west towards the Idaho Falls area - and the van caught fire after the impact. The flames were so fierce the bodies of several victims were left charred and unidentifiable for hours after they died, police had told reporters. The eight other people in the van were injured, officers added.

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Speaking on Friday morning, Idaho State Police said: "Tragically, six individuals in the van and the driver of the pickup died as a result of the crash." Mr Moreno, from Humble, which is near Houston in Texas, was the sole occupant of the pickup vehicle.

A photo from a passerby near Yellowstone shows flames and billowing smoke near the wreck of the truck. The witness who took the photo, local resident Roger Merrill, said he was on his way home when he saw the wreckage.

Both vehicles were on fire, he said, and bystanders were trying to care for the survivors on the side of the highway. The man added: "It is a very dangerous highway because it leads to the main entrance of Yellowstone National Park. It's extremely busy."

The road was closed for seven hours while emergency teams treated victims and cleared the crash site, about 16 miles (25km) from Yellowstone's entrance. The oldest US national park, it covers nearly 3,500 sq miles in three states; Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting an independent investigation because a commercial vehicle was involved and because of the magnitude of the crash. NTSB personnel have visited the scene and are reviewing evidence, according to police in Idaho.

According to the most recent data from the International Trade Administration, 36 per cent of international visitors who arrived to the US by air listed visits to national parks and national monuments as their top leisure activity while in the country.