Wedding party limo crash kills 20 people in upstate New York (Video)

Twenty people were dead and a picturesque, Upstate New York community was in shock and mourning Sunday after a "horrific" crash of a limousine van near an intersection of rural, winding roads.

State Police spokesman Christopher Fiore said the limousine failed to stop at the intersection in the town of Schoharie and slammed into a parked, unoccupied SUV. Eighteen people in the limousine, including the driver, and two pedestrians were killed in the crash Saturday, he said.

"Everyone inside the limousine was killed," Fiore said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene. Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said it was the biggest U.S. transportation accident since 2009.

"Twenty fatalities is just horrific," he said.

An aunt of one of the victims in the vehicle said the group had been on the way to a birthday celebration.

The 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was traveling southwest on Route 30 in Schoharie around 2 p.m. when it failed to stop at a T-junction with state Route 30A and crashed into an SUV parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe, Fiore said.

He didn’t comment on speed or whether the occupants of the vehicle had been wearing seat belts.

The crash “sounded like an explosion,” said Linda Riley of nearby Schenectady, who was on a shopping trip with her sisters. When she got out of her vehicle, Riley said, she saw a body on the ground and people started screaming.

Authorities didn’t release names of victims or other specifics, but state police set up a hotline for family members.

 Schoharie is a town of 3,300 people about 160 miles north of New York City.

The crash took place in an area popular with tourists during the fall foliage season. The Apple Barrel owners posted condolences on Facebook and said the store was open Sunday to share "hugs" with neighbors. 

The limousine ended up in a deep ditch along the side of the road. Gallup said she was glad the store opened, despite the investigation taking place outside.

The ensuing 911 calls drew a phalanx of first responders. At least one of the injured was flown to Albany Medical Center Hospital, Fiore said.

The store asked that customers "share your change" as donations to  first responders.

"They are the heroes of our small community," the post said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement that state police are working with federal and local authorities investigating the crash.

“My heart breaks for the 20 people who lost their lives in this horrific accident on Saturday in Schoharie,'' the statement said.

USA Today