The Kansas Highway Patrol and Kansas Turnpike Authority say five people died Tuesday afternoon in a multivehicle accident that closed Interstate 70 near the toll plaza west of Bonner Springs.

The KTA said a tractor trailer rear-ended another vehicle, causing a massive fire, just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Rachel Bell, a spokeswoman for the KTA, told the Journal-World it was initially believed that four vehicles, two of them tractor-trailers, were involved in the crash. However, in the investigation of the scene, two additional vehicles were discovered.

Bell said the driver of one of the semis was transported to an area hospital with injuries, but she did not know the severity of the injuries or the driver’s condition Tuesday evening.

One lane of eastbound lanes reopened about 4:30 p.m. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the westbound lanes were still closed, though Bell said the KTA anticipated reopening those lanes within a couple of hours.

Bell said information about the victims involved in the accident would likely be released Wednesday.