The crash, between three tractor-trailers and an empty school bus in East Hartford, took place around 5:10 a.m., Monday, June 3, between exits 55 and 56, when a tractor-trailer rear-ended a school bus, said Connecticut State Police Sgt. Dwight Washington during a press conference.
Following the crash, three vehicles were engulfed in flames, including two tractor-trailers and the school bus.
State police said two people were killed but did not say which vehicles they were in pending the notification of next of kin.
Washington said an investigation is underway to find what caused the tractor-trailer to rear-end the bus, setting off the chain reaction crash.
As of 1:30 p.m., the highway remains closed in two areas, between Exits 55 and 56, and the area of Route 2 westbound to I-84. State police predict it could remain closed well into the afternoon.
State police recommended finding alternative routes.
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