Three persons were killed in a head-on crash along Interstate 81 in Luzerne County in which one of the drivers was going the wrong way on the interstate.

State police at Hazleton said Daniel G. Sleva Jr., 24, of Morea, Schuylkill County, was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes, a mile south of the intersection with Interstate 80, in Butler Township, about 6:36 a.m. Friday when his vehicle collided with a vehicle operated by Peter M. Johnson, 59, of Greenville, New York.Sleva was taken to the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton, where he was pronounced dead. Two passengers with Johnson, Debra A. Johnson, 58, and Peter M. Johnson Jr., 24, both of Greenville, were pronounced dead at the scene.Peter Sr. was taken to the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, with moderate injuries, troopers said.The southbound lanes were closed for four hours with traffic detoured onto local roads. The northbound lanes were closed for a short time.The investigation into the crash is continuing.