SALLADASBURG- The driver of a water tanker truck was killed Tuesday night when his rig crashed into an embankment at Route 287 and Dam Run Road in Mifflin Township, Tiadaghton Valley Regional police confirmed.

It was believed the tanker truck was eastbound on Dam Run Road and failed to negotiate the turn on to Route 287, plowing right into the embankment just after 8 p.m., police said.

Emergency personal pronounced the driver dead while he was still trapped in the wreckage, police said.

The fatal crash shut down a portion of the two-lane state highway for several hours.

A representative from the Lycoming Coroner’s Office was dispatched to the scene.

Tiadaghton Valley Regional police were initially called to the scene because it was believed at first that the crash, about three miles north of here, was in Cummings Township.

A heavy-duty wrecker was going to be needed to remove the wreckage, officials said.

Volunteer firefighters from Salladasburg, Jersey Shore and Waterville responded.

The Sun-Gazette will report more details as soon as they are available.