A three-car crash on a mountain road in the San Fernando Valley left two people dead and six others injured on Friday, fire officials said.
The collision happened about 3:20 p.m. in the 9200 block of La Tuna Canyon Road in the Shadow Hills area, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Investigators said the collision took place when one car tried to pass another and struck a third car coming in the opposite direction.
"It appears to be a head-on collision, an extremely violent collision, that appears to be at a very high speed given the impact of the vehicles," said Marc Eckstein of the LAFD.
Rescue crews freed passengers trapped in the vehicles. Four of the six injured were in critical condition.
Of the two men who were injured, one declined to be taken to the hospital.
"I saw what looked like an explosion, the car almost flying," said one witness.
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La Tuna Canyon Road remained closed while police investigated the circumstances of the crash.
