5 people dead, 1 seriously injured in South Dakota car crash

YANKTON, S.D. – Authorities are investigating after five people died in a two-vehicle crash in South Dakota.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol says a 12-year-old girl was also seriously injured in the crash that occurred around 1:20 a.m. Wednesday near Yankton, about 80 miles (130 kilometres) southeast of Sioux Falls.

A Yankton police officer was trying to stop an Acura Integra on Highway 50 when the car’s headlights shut off and it crossed into oncoming lanes, colliding with a Nissan Sentra.

The 27-year-old man driving the Acura and the car’s passenger died at the scene. Three people in the Nissan also died: a 40-year-old woman, a 43-year-old man and a 10-year-old girl. A 12-year-old female passenger was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital for life-threatening injuries.

Officials haven’t released their names, pending family notifications.