Three dead after Interstate 70 crash west of Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Three people who were fleeing police died Friday after crashing into a tractor-trailer parked on an Interstate 70 exit ramp, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

The crash occurred about 1:10 a.m. at the Rocheport exit just east of the Missouri River Bridge, Patrol Lt. Larry Plunkett said.

The victims' car, which was westbound on I-70, exited the highway at a high rate of speed. The names of the victims have not been released.

Columbia police said the people in the car were being sought for questioning in a robbery. They had been pulled over in Columbia, where the chase began. Police eventually lost sight of the car and arrived at the crash site later.

The car apparently drove off the left side of the road, then lost control as it pulled back onto the exit ramp, the patrol said. It struck the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder.

The three people in car -- a man who was driving and two women who were his passengers -- died at the scene. The tractor-trailer driver was not injured. The patrol said he had pulled over to rest.