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Two people are injured and six more in the custody of federal immigration enforcement officers after their van rolled over Sunday morning on Interstate 80 in western Iowa.
Lt. Mike Miller of the Iowa State Patrol says a 2005 Dodge Caravan crashed near the Highway 71 interchange on I-80 just after 8:30 a.m., ejecting several passengers.
In the crash, two of the ejected passengers suffered serious injuries and were taken to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. One suffered head trauma and paralysis and was listed in critical condition. Miller said neither passenger had yet been identified because of a language barrier.
After the wreck, eight other passengers fled the scene on foot, but troopers located six of them after a short search. Troopers took the six to Cass County Medical Center in Atlantic, Iowa, and contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Authorities reported that ICE agents transported the six to Omaha.
Two passengers remain at large after taking a taxi to the Council Bluffs area, Miller said.
The cause of the accident remained unknown, though the investigation continues.
A spokesman for ICE said the agency is investigating the Iowa crash but that no further information was available.
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