5 die in crashes as storm sweeps through Southeast

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — Five people have died in accidents on icy roads as a winter storm sweeps through part of the Southeast.

Three people were killed in two separate crashes involving pickups that flipped in northern Mississippi early today. Police reported dozens of other highway accidents and several school districts canceled classes.

In southeast Alabama, a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old high school student slid out of control on an icy road and hit an 18-wheeler. Two teens were killed and a third has been hospitalized in critical condition.

Dozens of north Alabama schools called off classes or dismissed students around lunchtime. Near Birmingham, drivers stood in the cold waiting for police to arrive after a series of wrecks on icy Interstate 20.