*UPDATE* State Police have re-opened Interstate 10 westbound as of 8:45 a.m., according to State Police.

LAPLACE – A fatal accident in the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 has forced the shutdown of the highway as State Police investigate and work to clear the wreckage.

According to State Police Troop B, a man traveling eastbound on the westbound lanes around 3 a.m. crashed head-on into a westbound traveling vehicle carrying four people. State Police confirmed that five people were killed as a result of the accident.

The Department of Transportation and Development says the westbound interstate is closed between the Belle Terre Boulevard and Louisiana Route 641 exits.

Drivers heading toward Baton Rouge can take Airline Highway (U.S. 61) or Interstate 55 north to Interstate 12 west.