3 killed in crash outside St. Louis late Friday

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Three people from Illinois have died in a crash outside St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the crash happened late Friday night on Interstate 44 in Franklin County. Investigators say a semitrailer hit the left rear bumper of a sport utility vehicle, causing the smaller vehicle to overturn.

The Missouri Highway Patrol says all three people in the SUV were ejected in the crash. Troopers say 73-year-old Ignacio Castro-Perez and 73-year-old Maria Mendoza were pronounced dead at the scene. The third person, 55-year-old Martha Rabadan, was taken to a St. Louis hospital, where she was pronounced dead. All three were from Aurora, Illinois.

Investigators say the 28-year-old truck driver from California was not injured. No charges related to the crash were immediately announced.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com