Two motorcyclists who died in a fiery pileup on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton Thursday morning were active-duty sailors, the U.S. Navy confirmed Friday.
The couple was traveling south on the 5 Freeway shortly after 3 a.m. when they and two other motorcyclists collided with other vehicles that had crashed, the California Highway Patrol said.
For reasons yet to be determined, the driver of a Jeep Wrangler lost control on the southbound side of the 5 Freeway, left the road and struck a guardrail near Las Pulgas Road. The vehicle then came to rest disabled on the side of the road, according to CHP Officer Jake Sanchez.
Shortly after, a driver of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van collided with the jeep and overturned on its side. That's when the four motorcyclists who were behind crashed into the van and the jeep. The accident that occurred caused a fire, according to authorities.
Three of the four motorcyclists died, the CHP said. Two of them were sailors based in Southern California, according to Brian O'Rourke, a U.S. Navy public affairs officer.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the names of the crash victims.
