5 killed in fatal accident on west of LaPlace Louisiana

A head-on collision between a sport-utility vehicle and a car on westbound Interstate 10 just past LaPlace killed five people and forced the closure of the road for nearly five hours early Friday, Louisiana State Police said.The driver of a Jeep Cherokee going the wrong way on the elevated westbound lanes crashed into a car carrying four people about 3 a.m., said Trooper Nick Manale, a State Police spokesman. All five people died on the scene, Manale said.

Moments after the accident, an 18-wheeler and another vehicle hit the Jeep and the car. The drivers of the other vehicles suffered minor injuries, Manale said.Manale could not immediately say how many of the deceased were men or women, and their identities were not yet available. The driver of the Jeep was badly burned after his vehicle burst into flames, Manale said.