BEULAH – Two people died when the vehicle they were in crashed into a semi-truck on N.D. Highway 49, 11 miles south of Beulah, on Tuesday.

According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, traffic on Highway 49 was stopped by the local fire department for a vehicle fire blocking the road. A 2024 Volvo semi-truck, driven by Brandon Boucher, Minot, was stopped in the northbound lane with more vehicles stopped in front of the semi. A 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan, driven by a 20-year-old man from Riverton, Utah, was traveling north and did not see the stopped semi in the road. The Volkswagen struck the rear end of the semi trailer. Occupants of the Volkswagen, the 20-year-old driver and a 20-year-old male passenger from Ely, Nevada, both were pronounced dead at the scene. Both were wearing their seat belts. Their names were no released yet. Boucher was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.