Motorcycle slams into minivan in Pa., sparks explosion that kills five people

(AP) A motorcycle slammed into a minivan, knocking it on its side and sparking an explosion that killed all four people inside and the motorcyclist, police said.

State police said the van was turning off Route 220 when the motorcycle hit it Sunday afternoon with so much force it broke through the side of the minivan and knocked it over, said state police spokesman Mike Knight.

"If you look at the burned-out van, in between two seats in the van is a burned out motorcycle," he said.

Authorities on Monday were still trying to determine how fast the motorcyclist, Mitchel Ryan Levan, 20, of South Williamsport, was driving. The speed limit on that stretch of four-lane highway is 55 miles per hour.

Police also were investigating the possibility that there was another motorcyclist traveling with him, Knight said.

The victims in the minivan were identified as the driver, Tammie L. Sutter, 37; her 11-year-old daughter, Chelsea; Rodney W. Dishong, 52; and his mother Ida-Mae Dishong, 70. All four victims were from Jersey Shore, authorities said.

The crash was near an entrance to the Medieval Majesty Renaissance Faire, which opened over the weekend in central Pennsylvania.