Seven people were killed in a fiery crash that closed I-85 northbound for several hours late Monday, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The chain-reaction crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. in Jackson County, just south of mile marker 147, investigators said. Troopers from the Athens post responded to the crash, which involved six vehicles.
Investigators believe a semi-trailer struck the back of a Dodge van, causing the crash, the state patrol said. The van was engulfed in flames after the impact.
All seven occupants of the van died at the scene, investigators said. Their names were not released late Monday.
The crash closed I-85 for several hours, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Shortly after 8 p.m., one lane reopened.
The deadly crash remains under investigation, the state patrol said.
One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a van transporting 37 cats to a shelter in Vermont, according to Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters based in metro Atlanta and the Georgia Wildlife Network. The van’s driver was injured, the rescue group said.
“We are devastated for the families affected, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with them,” the group said in a Facebook post. “In the chaos of the wreckage, cages were crushed, and cats began to flee.”
The rescue group said 32 cats were being assessed for injuries and five remained missing late Monday.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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