Three of the seven people who died in a violent crash at Yellowstone National Park have been identified by authorities as Southern California natives.
The crash occurred on May 1 on U.S. Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake, which is located just west of the Idaho-Montana state line, according to the Idaho State Police.
Preliminary investigations into the collision, which involved a Mercedes van and a Dodge Ram pickup truck, indicated that the latter vehicle was traveling westbound when it crossed the center line and smashed into the van traveling eastbound.
“The reason for the pickup’s movement remains under investigation,” Idaho State Police said.
After collaborating with the Fremont County and Ada County, Idaho coroner’s offices, the identities of the decedents were released on Friday. Three of them are from Southern California:
- Li Nie, 64, of Arcadia
- Aifeng Wan, 53, of Arcadia
- Yu Zhang, 30, of Eastvale
Zhang was identified as the van’s driver, state police said. The driver of the Dodge Ram pickup, 25-year-old Isaih Moreno of Humble, Texas, also died.
The other individuals who died in the crash were identified as:
- Ivana Wen, 28, of Milan, Italy
- Jianping Li, 71, of Guangxi, China
- Xiaoming Jiang, 66, of Guilin, Guangxi, China
A prior press release issued by Idaho State Police incorrectly identified Jianping Li as Jian Shi of Shanghai; Shi, 56, sustained injuries but survived the crash.
There were a total of 14 people in the van, 13 of whom were Chinese nationals. Survivors of the crash were taken to nearby hospitals.
The location of the crash, U.S. Highway 20 south of West Yellowstone, Montana, is a primary north-south route to get between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in the spring before other routes are plowed and the park fully opens for the summer, according to the Associated Press.
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