( CNN ) -- A tractor-trailer crossed the median of an Arizona highway Sunday and slammed into a van driving in the other direction , killing all seven of the van 's passengers , a state public safety spokesman said . The two people in the truck -- the driver and his spouse -- were both injured in the crash and helicoptered to Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix , said Officer Carrick R. Cook with the Arizona Department of Public Safety . The woman has a broken back , and she and her husband are both in serious condition , according to the spokesman . The truck had been heading west on Interstate 10 , about 40 miles west of Phoenix , about 11 a.m. when it went across the highway and struck the van , which was going east . Both vehicles went off the right side of the highway after the collision and caught fire , Cook said . Medical examiners are trying to determine the identities of the seven van passengers killed , she added . They are believed to be from western Arizona . The crash caused massive traffic issues , as authorities shut down Interstate 10 eastbound before noon and funneled drivers off the highway . One lane was reopened about 4:30 p.m. , according to the state Department of Transportation 's official Twitter feed . Are you there ? Send us your stories and images . More CNN U.S. news : . Gas prices turn upward after long skid . Church refuses to marry black couple in Mississippi . 2 arrested after more Anaheim protests against police shootings . Hyundai recalls more than 220,000 vehicles for potential air bags flaws .
Eastbound highway traffic was shut down for four hours after the crash . A tractor - trailer was heading west on I-10 when it crossed the bridge . It struck a van going the opposition way , killing all the four passengers , a state official says . The truck 's passengers are both in serious condition at a local hospital , he adds .