Students, instructor killed in van rollover

? A Utah State University van overturned Monday on a highway about 65 miles north of Salt Lake City, killing seven students and an instructor, authorities said. Three other students were injured.

The 11 occupants of the van were ejected as the vehicle rolled four times on Interstate 84 near Tremonton, Trooper Jeff Nigbur said.

All the victims were undergraduate men and all were Utah State agriculture students, said Lt. Ed Michaud of the state highway patrol. They were returning from a field trip, and police said the instructor was driving.

The single-vehicle crash occurred about 4:30 p.m. It appeared the van’s left rear tire blew out as it tried to pass another vehicle, and speed was a contributing factor, Michaud said.

The van’s roof was collapsed to the windows, and parts of the vehicle and personal belongings littered the area near the freeway.

Six of the occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, and two died later at hospitals. At least two of the three injured were in critical condition, officials said.

The university, located in Logan about 70 miles north of Salt Lake City, has about 21,000 students.