Five killed in LA collision

LOS ANGELES, May 27 (UPI) -- Five people are reported dead following a fiery collision Tuesday involving six vehicles in Los Angeles' Hyde Park area.

Police said a speeding van ran a red light late Monday afternoon, triggering a crash that left another 16 people hurt, the Los Angeles Times said.

"When officers first arrived, all they could see was fire and smoke," police spokeswoman Karen Smith told the newspaper. "It was an immense, incredible scene."

The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a written statement that it had nearly 90 firefighters on the scene at the intersection of Crenshaw and Florence to handle the burning vehicles and give first aid to the injured.

The statement said two of the victims who died were trapped in the wreckage while the other fatality was a young boy who was ejected from a vehicle. Those three were declared dead at the scene. The other two were pronounced dead at hospitals.