MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa – Four people were killed on Friday night after a vehicle collided with a utility pole in a central Iowa city, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Marshalltown Police Department, the vehicle, which had a driver and three passengers, struck the utility pole at about 11:12 p.m.
The vehicle was severely damaged and on fire when officers arrived, according to the Times-Republican newspaper of Marshalltown. The vehicle apparently caught fire after striking the pole, KCCI-TV reported.
All four occupants of the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, the newspaper reported. Their names have not been released pending formal identification by the state medical examiner’s office and notification of family members, according to WOI-TV.
According to the police department’s news release, the Iowa State Patrol has been contacted and will assist in the investigation.
Police said it was unclear what led to the crash, adding that an investigation was ongoing.
“This is a tragic event that will deeply affect our entire community,” Marshalltown police said in a Facebook post early Saturday.
