Three people are dead after a fiery traffic accident in central Illinois.

An SUV traveling west on Illinois 9 near the Fulton County town of Monterey swerved into oncoming traffic Tuesday morning. The SUV struck a van carrying passengers from the Tazewell County Resource Center, which provides services for the developmentally disabled and people with vision problems. The SUV caught fire when it hit the van.

The Fulton County Sheriff's Department says the SUV's driver was killed along with two passengers in the van. The van had 13 passengers. Four other passengers were taken by helicopter for treatment at a Peoria hospital. The other passengers were taken to a Canton hospital.

Monterey is about 25 miles southwest of Peoria.