More than 100 pigs died when a tractor-trailer overturned Wednesday morning on an interstate curve near downtown Louisville, police said.

The truck carrying livestock overturned about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, shutting down the Interstate 65 South ramp to Interstate 71 North and Interstate 64 East and causing numerous pigs to fall onto the roadway.

The ramp was closed for hours, and was back open by 3 p.m. according to authorities.

Louisville Metro Police spokesman Matthew Sanders said 178 hogs were inside the tractor-trailer, and 110 of them were killed or had to be euthanized because of injuries suffered in the crash.

Sanders said the truck was believed to be headed to the JBS Swift pork processing plant in Butchertown.

In an email to the Courier Journal, JBS USA spokesman Cameron Bruett said the truck and hogs involved in Wednesday's incident were not owned by the company.

"Upon request, we assisted authorities after the incident to help resolve the situation humanely and in a timely fashion," Bruett said. "Animal welfare is of the upmost importance to our company and we hope our efforts were helpful during this unfortunate incident."

The driver of the truck was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries, Sanders said.

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Police are still trying to determine what caused the crash, which came almost two years after a similar crash on the ramp from I-65 North to eastbound I-64 in August 2017 killed pigs and sent others scurrying on the roadway.

Farm Sanctuary, a New York-based farm animal advocacy group, used Wednesday's crash to push vegetarianism.

"We were saddened to hear about the reportedly 100 pigs who were killed in the tractor-trailer crash this morning in downtown Louisville on the I-65 South ramp," Gene Baur, president and co-founder of the group, said in an email to the Courier Journal. "Pigs and other farm animals endure intolerable cruelty every day in factory farms, slaughterhouses and in transit, and their abuse is largely hidden from public view.

"... If you'd like to help reduce accidents like these and prevent animal cruelty, please consider joining the approximately 30 million Americans who are decreasing or eliminating their consumption of meat and other animal products."

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Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.