Highway 17 in Los Gatos closed after fatal multi-vehicle accident

LOS GATOS, Calif. -- All southbound lanes of State Route 17 remained closed at 11:40 a.m. Saturday -- with no target time for reopening -- three and a half hours after a fatal collision on a winding part of the highway near Los Gatos.

After a tanker truck overturned and collided with another vehicle about 8 a.m., killing one person, traffic was being rerouted to Route 9, an even curvier route over the Santa Cruz Mountains, authorities said on Twitter.

Crews from Santa Clara County Fire, CalFire, CalTrans, Los Gatos Police Department and other agencies were assisting California Highway Patrol with various aspects of the sprawling incident.

Northbound lanes of Highway 17 reopened about 9:10 a.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol's online incident log.

Santa Clara County Fire tweeted at 11:15 a.m. that authorities could not estimate when the southbound lanes of Highway 17 would reopen. They said delays were still expected in the northbound lanes, and they urged drivers to exercise caution in the area.

Some vehicles were trapped on the roadway, at least temporarily, due to the blockage and closure, according to the CHP incident log.