AMHERST — Two people were killed when a car collided with an oil tanker traveling along Rt. 101 on the afternoon of Sept. 25.

According to the Amherst Police Department, witnesses reported that the driver of an Acura sedan struck the tanker head-on as the driver was attempting to pass a pickup truck. The impact caused the tanker to go off the road and roll over. The Acura was split in half as it spun around and struck the pickup truck, which was carrying a small utility trailer. The driver of the tanker and the driver of the Acura were both pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck was not injured.

The crash happened just west of the Merrimack Road overpass. As a result, Rt. 101 was closed from Baboosic Lake Road to Nashua Street.

It is not known how much fuel the tanker was carrying; however, it has a capacity of up to 3,000 gallons. The remaining oil was pumped into another tanker.