DELTA, La. — Interstate 20 eastbound in Delta, La. was shut down for nearly eight hours Friday evening as law enforcement and emergency medical personnel worked to clear a deadly accident involving six vehicles.

Just after 8:30 p.m. Friday, Louisiana State Police responded to a six-vehicle accident that involved four 18-wheelers and two passenger vehicles.

Troopers, in a release, said the sequence of events remains under investigation, but preliminary findings show a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer were struck by at least one of the 18-wheelers involved.

The driver of the Silverado, identified as Jose Luis Venegas-Nuno, 36, of Dallas, and the driver of the Trailblazer, who has not yet been identified, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Four additional occupants for both the passenger vehicles and 18-wheelers were taken to local hospitals with moderate to severe injuries.

The eastbound lanes were closed for nearly eight hours as investigators worked the scene and crews worked to remove the damaged vehicles from the roadway.