Perth, Australia— Three people were killed instantly on Thursday morning when a fuel tanker and a delivery truck slammed head-on along a remote stretch of highway in Western Australia.
The crash happened just after 7:30 a.m. local time on Great Eastern Highway, about 90 kilometers east of Perth. Police said the tanker was heading west when it crossed into the opposite lane. The delivery truck had no time to stop.
Both vehicles caught fire on impact. The fuel load from the tanker fed the blaze for more than an hour. Fire and Rescue crews who arrived first found the cabs fully engulfed. There was nothing to save.
Main Roads Western Australia shut down the highway in both directions. The closure stretched for nearly eight kilometers. Drivers were stuck. A detour added three hours to the route.
"We are dealing with a complex, catastrophic scene," a Western Australia Police spokesperson said at the site. "Two heavy vehicles, extensive fire damage, and three fatalities. The investigation will take days."
Investigators from the Major Crash unit marked the road. They measured skid marks and debris fields. The tanker driver, the delivery driver, and one passenger in the delivery truck were identified as the victims. Names have not been released pending family notification.
Witnesses who were a few cars back said they heard the impact before they saw it. One driver told officers he saw a flash, then black smoke. The force of the collision pushed both trucks off the sealed road into the gravel shoulder.
The highway is a known freight corridor. It carries fuel, grain, and mining equipment between Perth and the Goldfields. Police said fatigue and speed are now lines of inquiry, but no cause has been confirmed.
The road reopened late Thursday after the wreckage was cleared and the surface was inspected for structural damage from the heat.
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