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Five people have died and at least 60 others have been injured in an early-morning crash involving a tour bus on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Mt. Pleasant Township, authorities said.

The bus was traveling on a downhill curve, struck an embankment and flipped onto its side, authorities said. The crash also involved three tractor-trailers — two UPS trucks and a FedEx truck — loaded with parcels and a passenger vehicle, state police said. It occurred about 3:40 a.m. Sunday near mile marker 86 on the westbound side of the highway, officials said. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha confirmed the fatalities.

Angela Maynard, a tractor-trailer driver from Kentucky, said she was traveling eastbound on the turnpike when she and her driving partner came upon the scene.

“I looked up at that hill there, and I could see lights. It looked like a lot of them,” said Maynard, who called 911. “There was no fire, just a lot of smoke at that point.”

She and her co-driver got out of their truck to see if anyone was hurt. She could see one person lying on the ground, and another trapped in their truck.

“It was horrible,” she said. “I was trying to make sure everyone was OK.

“I walked toward the scene and saw one of the truck drivers laying near the barrier. I tried to keep him occupied, keep talking, until medical help arrived. He was in bad shape. He was floating in and out of consciousness.”

The roads were wet from snow but not especially icy, she said. Turnpike Commission spokeswoman Renee Colborn said at a press briefing at 10:45 a.m. that the roads had been treated and also said they were not icy.

The turnpike is closed in both directions between the Breezewood (Exit 161) and New Stanton (Exit 75) interchanges.

What caused the bus to strike the embankment has not be determined.

“At the accident scene, (police) are conducting a reconstruction as we speak,” Colborn said. “We have no timetable yet for an opening of the turnpike, but it looks like it will remain closed for several hours.”

Officials with UPS and FedEx could not immediately be reached for comment.

Numerous ambulance companies from Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties sent units to transport victims, following protocol for a “mass casualty incident,” said Westmoreland County Public Safety Director Bud Mertz.

Those who were injured were taken to numerous hospitals in the region, a Westmoreland Department of Public Safety supervisor said.

Twenty-five people ranging in age from 7 to 52 were being evaluated at Excela Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, said Excela Health spokeswoman Robin Jennings. Two patients were to be transferred to a trauma hospital, Jennings said. Nine of the 25 patients are under the age of 18, she said.

Eleven victims were taken to Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville. One is in critical condition, and the others are in fair condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

UPMC Somerset received 18 patients: 12 adults and six under the age of 18, according to a UPMC spokeswoman. All have been treated and released.

Once first responders arrived, Maynard and other drivers were told to keep driving and clear the scene before the turnpike closed.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators have been called the scene, turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said.

Three deputy coroners also were on scene, Bacha said.

Debris caused the eastbound lanes of the turnpike to be closed.

WB Detour at Breezewood: I-70 east (Washington, DC) (24 miles) to exit 1A (68/40 West, Cumberland, Maryland) (65.5 miles) to Exit 14B (Uniontown) following 40 west to US 119 north (63 miles) to Exit 1B (PA Turnpike). Re-enter the PA Turnpike @New Stanton. #paturnpike @PA_Turnpike https://t.co/kn3qMrtgAv

— PA Turnpike Alerts (@PATurnpikeAlert) January 5, 2020

Excela Health Frick Hospital Case Management has established a phone number — 724-237-6027 — for family members only, the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety said.

Renatta Signorini, Paul Peirce and Jacob Tierney are Tribune-Review staff writers. Staff writer Joe Napsha contributed. You can reach them at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]