Two 21-year-olds died Wednesday when their Toyota Sienna minivan crossed the Parks Highway center line near Cantwell and collided with a double fuel tanker, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tristan Carey of Fairbanks and Rachel Weter of Huslia died in the collision, troopers said in an alert posted Thursday.
The driver of the Peterbilt tractor hauling the tankers suffered injuries described as not life-threatening, troopers said.
The tanker was owned by Fisher's Fuel, according to Alaska Department of Public Safety spokesman Jonathon Taylor.
Initial reports of the accident came in around 11 a.m. Wednesday and described the truck hauling the tankers as being on fire, troopers said.
The accident closed the highway for eight hours but drivers used detours, Taylor said in an email. Most of that time was spent removing fuel from the tankers.
No fuel spilled from the tankers though some leaked from the truck's engine, he said. The Department of Environmental Conservation was notified and the fuel cleaned up.
No citations were issued.