Wrong Way Driver in Chicago Kills 2 and Injures 16 in Fiery Collision: 'Horrible Tragedy' Say Police

Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Chicago crash kills 2

Two people were killed and 16 others are injured after a car slammed into a busy Chicago intersection on Wednesday.

According to CNN, the incident occurred at approximately 5 p.m. in Chicago's South Side.

A Dodge Charger was speeding northbound while traveling in a southbound lane, Chicago Police Superintendant David Brown explained at a press conference. The vehicle had been reported stolen earlier that day in a nearby suburb of Markham, the Associated Press said.

Both occupants of the Dodge Charger were killed when the vehicle caught fire after hitting seven cars in the intersection.

The collision left 16 people injured. Seven of the injured victims are children, the outlet reported.

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As of Thursday, the police department said 11 injured people remained in the hospital in either good or fair condition.

Following the crash, Brown said a long rifle was found inside the vehicle.

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"Obviously this is a horrible tragedy coming as it does on the eve of Thanksgiving," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at the news conference after the accident, per CNN. "When you're going at that high rate of speed, anyone that you hit, whether it's a car or a pedestrian, you significantly diminish their ability to survive."

Lightfoot also encouraged drivers to slow down on the roads.