Police: 7 Farmworkers in Van, One Pickup Driver Killed in Head-On Crash in California Farming Region

The site of a head-on crash involving a van and a pickup truck where eight people were killed is checked in Madera County, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2024. Anthony Galaviz/The Fresno Bee via AP

MADERA, Calif.—Seven farmworkers traveling in a van and the driver of a pickup truck were killed Friday in a head-on crash in a farming area in central California, police said.

The crash at 6:15 a.m. left the van almost completely crumpled among blooming almond trees near the town of Madera, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside Fresno, California Highway Patrol Officer Javier Ruvalcaba said.