Six die in separate crashes on OKC interstate

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August 11, 2012

Six die in separate crashes on OKC interstate

Anonymous Associated Press Sat Aug 11, 2012, 11:47 PM CDT

— OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Five people were killed Friday when the roof of their car was sheared off as it slammed into a semitrailer and burst into flames near the junction of Interstate 35 and Interstate 40 close to downtown Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Hours later, the area was the scene of a second deadly crash when a driver hit some metal debris, causing a front tire to blow out and the vehicle to roll shortly after 1:30 p.m., Highway Patrol Capt. Chris West said.

The victims of the first accident were in a Chevrolet Camaro that was southbound on Interstate 235 around 1 a.m. when it went off the roadway while merging onto I-35 near the I-40 junction, West said. The car then went under the truck’s trailer, which sheared off the car’s roof before the vehicle spun out from under the trailer into westbound lanes of I-40 and caught fire.

All five victims were thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. “It was gruesome,” West said.

The names and nationalities of the victims of the first collision haven’t been released as authorities work with a foreign embassy to contact their families, West said. He said the victims were foreign nationals.

Exit ramps from I-40 eastbound and westbound onto I-35 south were closed for more than five hours after the crash.

The name of the driver killed in the second accident also hasn’t been released.

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Six die in separate crashes on OKC interstate

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