A Lewiston man and woman were killed and four children were injured on the Maine Turnpike in New Gloucester early Wednesday when they were struck by another motorist after they had pulled over to reconnect a trailer that had become unattached from the hitch on their vehicle.

Maine State Police responded around 4:25 a.m. to reports of a crash near mile marker 71 on Interstate 95 south, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

The preliminary investigation indicates that a GMC Acadia was towing a U-Haul trailer that became detached from the hitch and was only connected by the safety chains. That prompted the GMC driver to pull over to the right-hand shoulder, but the trailer was still partially in the roadway, Moss said.

The male driver, an adult female passenger and two of the four children riding in the vehicle had gotten out to fix the trailer connection when an Audi SUV struck the trailer and the GMC from behind.

The female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver sustained critical injuries and was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he died later Wednesday, Moss said.

All four children, ranging in age from 7 to 14, sustained minor injuries and were also taken to Maine Med, according to the news release.

The driver of the Audi, a Wales man, sustained minor injuries and was taken to Maine Med, where he was treated and released, Moss said. No charges have been filed against the man, she said.

All six people in the GMC lived in Lewiston, though their names and relationships are being withheld until police can verify details and notify next of kin, Moss said.

The southbound lanes of the Maine Turnpike were closed for about five hours Wednesday morning because of the wreck, with state police issuing a road closure alert at 4:40 a.m.

The left lane reopened shortly after 8 a.m., according to the Maine Turnpike Authority, allowing traffic to crawl through. Before that lane was cleared, all southbound vehicles had been forced to get off the turnpike at Exit 75 in Auburn.

The highway fully reopened around 9:45 a.m., state police said.