3 Aurora residents killed in crash outside St. Louis

ST. LOUIS — Three people from Aurora died late Friday night in a crash outside St. Louis.

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

The Missouri Highway Patrol said all three people in the SUV were ejected in the crash. Troopers said 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.

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