8 men killed in a head-on crash in Central California near a farming area, police say

By The Associated Press on February 23, 2024.

MADERA, Calif. (AP) – Eight men were killed Friday in a head-on crash in Central California near a farming area, police said.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened early Friday near the town of Madera, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Fresno.

CHP Officer Javier Ruvalcaba told the Fresno Bee that seven of those killed were farmworkers traveling in a van. The other person killed was in a pickup truck, he said.

Ruvalcaba told the newspaper it appeared the truck crossed over the center line of a two-lane rural highway before crashing head-on with the van.

All of the victims were men, and many were not wearing seatbelts, police told the newspaper.

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