Authorities say three people were killed and at least six others injured when a van left an interstate and careened down an embankment in northeast Georgia.
The Georgia State Patrol said the 15-passenger van went down the embankment after leaving Interstate 85 near the Jackson County town of Commerce around 7 a.m. Monday.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reports that members from 2 “heavy metal” bands were among the 12 people in the van that crashed.
The musicians on board were from an Atlanta band named “Khaotika,” and the Huntsville, Alabama band, “Wormreich,” the newspaper reported.
Georgia State Patrol Capt. Mark Perry tells The Associated Press that authorities have confirmed three deaths. Perry said six people have been taken to local hospitals.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution also reports that the victims were from various states including North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.
According to a Georgia Highway Patrolman, the band Wormreich performed Sunday night in Spartanburg and had a show planned for Monday night at a venue East Atlanta Village, the newspaper reported.
The van was also pulling a trailer full of the musicians’ equipment.
“The driver lost control either by (falling) asleep or some other means. We’re still investigating that. He left the roadway, traveled about 300 feet off the roadway, and struck a tree with the passenger side of the van,” said Cpl. Scott Smith of the Ga. State Patrol.
The passenger side of the van was sheered off. The crash site is about 65 miles northeast of Atlanta.
— Info from CNN Pathfire and The Associated Press
