Four people were killed in northeastern Minnesota after a semi slammed into traffic backed up in a construction zone, authorities say.

The five-vehicle collision occurred shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 2 near Nelson Road near Floodwood, just west of Duluth.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, four vehicles — a GMC, a Ford, a Mack semitrailer and a Honda — were stopped for a traffic backup due to construction. A fifth vehicle, an International semitrailer, struck the four stopped vehicles at highway speed.

All four occupants of the 2007 Honda Pilot died: Vincent Dow, 65; Bonnie Dow, 66; Hope Oakgrove, 9; and Charlotte White, 9. All four were from Blackduck. They were all wearing seat belts, the State Patrol reported.

Both semitrailer drivers and a passenger in the Ford were taken to hospitals in Duluth and Cloquet with non-life-threatening injuries.

The collision remains under investigation by the State Patrol, which didn’t immediately indicate whether distracted driving played a role.

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